Symptoms of impaired consciousness (be patient, such Goodies as, for example, coma or delirium, will be considered in the section syndromes). They are still in 1911, was clearly described by Karl Jaspers:

Violation of orientation in time, situation, space, surrounding persons and self. Let’s try to reveal a little the essence of each of the points of disorientation.

In time. Of course, to forget what today is the day or day of the week, happened to each of us, especially if the work or the situation (vacation, for example) does not imply the need to clearly monitor them. Another thing, if you struggle to understand what in the yard a season or a year. Or why it’s evening, but only that it was morning, although there may also be options…

In a situation. At once the fool to whom participants of a funeral procession hung for a wish “to drag to you — not to drag”is remembered. In other words, it is alarming if a person is not able to assess what kind of situation and relationships (at least in General terms) develop around him: anniversary or Wake.

In space. Of course, no one requires you to know the exact longitude, latitude, altitude and serial number of the galaxy, but the city, the area, and the way home — should.

In the surrounding seats. The General rule of loving people: if you do not remember the name of the partner, call a Bunny, sun or lapulya — you will live longer. Worse, if you are not able to identify people from the surrounding brother, sister, mother, father (the intricacies of the plot lines Express the hero of the Indian cinema), raises many questions.

In self. Unlike Hu em AI, played perfectly by Jackie Chan, a patient who is truly disoriented in his own personality is unlikely to molest you with self-identification problems. And generally hardly understand a word of speech addressed to him — will react as the sound, but no more. Usually this happens with a gross disorder of consciousness.

It should be added that the above paragraphs are given in such a sequence is not accidental. They are a kind of scale of increasing depth and severity of the disorder of consciousness: from disorientation in time, as the easiest (if not a miss in half a century), to disorientation in his own personality, when everything is very, very bad and the patient’s life is in question.

  1. Detachment from the surrounding reality. This is a situation where the reality itself, the patient itself. Events, facts and external stimuli are perceived as fragments of conversations from the street — fragmentary, on the very verge of perception, a person is not able to seriously and permanently attract attention, not to mention a clear and holistic awareness of them. Confusion, indecision prevail — how to behave in a situation when the reality waves the handle? Confusion, surprise: Oh, what is it? Where is it? Oh my gosh!
  2. Violations of understanding. Since consciousness and the process of thinking are inextricably linked with each other, any violations of consciousness will certainly be reflected in the harmony of thinking. This simplification of the associative process (to complex series, when everything is bad!), and problems with abstraction, and violation of sequence — in one way or another least, in dependence from depth disorder.
  3. Memory disorders relating to the period of the disorder of consciousness, amnesia or congrega. Can be full, when memory falls all the painful period, and partial, when some of the memories still remains. For this reason, many alcoholics who have suffered delirium, swear that more — no-no! And we pretend to believe.