The concept of cerebropathy is defined in the medical literature as 'Any brain disease, mental disorder that develops due to a lesion in the brain'. However, psychology uses cerebropathy to describe cognitive disorders in which more specific situations occur.
According to psychology, the concept of cerebropathy is the constant presence of cognitive impairment with fluctuations in consciousness that affect concentration, decision-making, memory and word association. Although there are many factors that can cause cerebropathy, it is estimated that the main cause is thinking too much and external pressures that strain the mind too much (DiClaudio, 2010). Almost all the information in the literature about cerebropathy has been obtained through research conducted in the Middle East and Africa. Although it is not well known in European countries and Turkey due to language differences, there is also incorrect information about cerebropathy in the sources due to translation errors.
The basis of the concept of cerebropathy is based on Brain Fag Syndrome (BFS), which was first put forward by Canadian psychiatrist Raymond Prince in 1960 (BFS can be translated into Turkish as Brain Fatigue Syndrome). In the 60s, Prince was working with high school and university students in Nigeria, a newly independent country in British West Africa. He explained that in his observations of the students, he discovered a series of symptoms that revealed emotional and physical complaints. Sleep-related cognitive complaints, head and neck pain, difficulty in gathering and storing information, and eye pain were some of these findings. Considering the repeated references, Prince named this cluster of symptoms “mental exhaustion (brain phag).” According to Prince, symptoms often appeared before or after intense reading and studying, when the person was exposed to the action called 'brain labor' (Prince, 1960).
This unfamiliar clinical presentation and manifestation of distress was initially thought to be a 'culture-bound syndrome' localized in Southern Nigeria. Later, reports began to be published from other African regions, and these case reports revealed study-related psychology in African students. drew attention to these problems ( Peltzer, 1998 ). It is estimated that the reason is the excessive mental load that occurs when African students, who grew up with their own language and culture, try to adapt to the Western Education System.
While BFS was subsequently referred to in the fourth edition of the DSM, the tenth edition of the ICD, and the 'Dictionary of Culture-Related Syndromes', the current relationship with clinical practice is unclear. According to DSM IV-TR, BFS is defined as a culture-bound syndrome affecting West African students. It is a condition characterized by the loss of the ability to concentrate, learn, remember or think, and is often accompanied by head and neck pain, blurred vision, a feeling of pressure or tension. In this respect, BFS resembles anxiety, depression and somatoform disorders and can be compared to cases where these disorders occur together (APA, 2000).
According to the research findings repeated in Nigeria by O. A Ayonrinde et al. in 2015, approximately 0.78% of the annual clinical caseload per psychiatrist consists of patients diagnosed with BFS, and patients presenting with similar symptoms are more likely to have anxiety and somatic symptoms. It was found that he was diagnosed with Symptom Disorder. This shows that BFS is a disease that still exists today.
The cluster of symptoms of the syndrome defined as BFS is highly consistent with cerebropathy. Cerebropathy is the inability of a person to focus, perceive or react to any stimulus as a result of intense mental activity. It has been translated into Turkish literature as 'brain fatigue', but this has caused it to be likened to burnout syndrome. In case of cerebropathy, the patient feels that his mind is too full, he cannot concentrate on the issues he needs to think about, and symptoms such as anxiety, nausea and pain may be observed. Mental energy was used to its fullest extent. A change is also observed in the brain waves of the patient, who cannot remember even the smallest detail. It affects vital functions much more than Burnout Syndrome and the patient becomes unable to do almost anything. Symptoms and 'Brain Fatigue' Although it seems like a condition that we all experience when we read tabloid news with the name �, it is actually a rare disease with very serious consequences. So much so that it is impossible for an individual with cerebropathy to even follow the sentences in the article you are reading now.
Cerebropathy may have many causes. Mental stress caused by extreme mental fatigue, inadequate sleep quality and duration, too much exposure to other people, inability to spare time for oneself or loved ones for a long time, inadequate working environment in terms of ergonomic conditions, and too much exposure to electronic devices are some of these. For this reason, it is more common in Japanese office workers who work more than 80 hours a week and in Nigerian students who try to adapt to the Western Education System. Although BFS and Cerebropathy have the same symptoms and consequences, BFS is included in scientific sources as a cultural syndrome seen only in Africa, while cerebropathy is not included in the DSM or OCD and does not have a specific localization. There are sources that use the two concepts synonymously and even refer to research conducted for BFS under the name cerebropathy. However, while BFS research is mostly carried out in Africa, cerebropathy research is carried out in Far Eastern countries because it is more common due to busy working hours.
Although cerebropathy is considered a disease in itself, it also appears as a symptom of various diseases. In a 1993 study in which a comprehensive examination of 16 patients, including epileptic, alcoholic, psychotic and Meniere's patients, was conducted, patients were subjected to neurological, psychiatric and psychological examination, as well as morphological examination (X-ray, CT, NMR) and physiological examination (EEG, polysomnography). they were kept. As a result of the research, they revealed that the pathological findings mentioned were not coincidental and that cerebropathy was a symptom accompanying other diseases, regardless of etiology (Faber, 1993). In other words, without intense workload and mental stress factors, only someone with a physical or neurological disease could show symptoms of cerebropathy.
The first step in the treatment of cerebropathy is other ps. It is about noticing, as is the case with ecological diseases. The patient, who becomes aware of the cause of his condition through his family or on his own, should accept that his complaints will continue as long as these conditions continue and should avoid situations that create mental stress. After this 1-2 week 'reset' period, the patient's perception, memory, association and executive functions are expected to return to normal levels. However, in cases where the patient cannot escape from the mentally stressful environment, it is necessary to receive psychotherapy. It is expected that cerebropathy will be seen less frequently in people who can spare time for themselves, have frequent contact with the soil, have comfortable working conditions and flexible working hours.
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