CLINICAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF NEUROSES IN ADOLESCENTS AND CRITERIA FOR THEIR EARLY DETECTION
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The period of adolescence represents a critical developmental phase characterized by profound physiological, neuroendocrine, and psychosocial transformations, rendering this demographic highly susceptible to functional neuropsychiatric disorders. This study aims to comprehensively investigate the clinical and psychological characteristics of neuroses in adolescents and to systematically establish reliable criteria for their early detection in primary care and educational settings. Employing a prospective, comparative clinical-psychological methodology, the research evaluated a cohort of adolescents exhibiting early signs of neurotic maladaptation alongside a healthy control group. The assessment utilized structured clinical interviews and validated psychodiagnostic instruments to measure anxiety, depressive tendencies, and personality traits. The integrated literature review highlights the modern paradigm of adolescent neuroses, emphasizing the increasing prevalence of somatization and the blurring lines between classical neurasthenia, hysterical neurosis, and anxiety-phobic disorders in youth. The empirical results demonstrate that adolescent neuroses predominantly manifest through masked somatic complaints, severe asthenic-vegetative exhaustion, and pronounced interpersonal conflict, rather than classical adult-type neurotic complaints. Furthermore, the study identifies specific, early behavioral and cognitive markers, such as abrupt declines in academic performance, sleep architecture disruptions, and withdrawal from peer groups, which significantly precede the full clinical onset of the disorder. The discussion advocates for a paradigm shift from reactive psychiatric treatment to proactive psychoprophylaxis. Ultimately, the research solidifies a comprehensive set of early detection criteria, emphasizing that timely identification and psychological intervention can fully reverse the neurotic process and prevent long-term personality deformations in the developing adolescent.
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References
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