Clinical pictures

It is important for those affected to become aware of the disease, to accept it and to face it. The tendency to avoid fear-causing things or situations can add to anxiety or phobias. Facing these fears can be understood as training that helps to reduce the anxiety itself. For many of those affected, however, this is a particularly daunting challenge.

Anyone seeking medical attention for fears or phobias is not revealing personal weakness, but rather a desirable way of dealing with the disease. This also includes involving one's own environment, such as family or friends. Valuable support can come from those close to them.. In addition, the visit of self-help groups for exchanges with other sufferers shows good results for some sufferers.

Relaxation techniques such as yoga, autogenous training or progressive muscle relaxation can also be helpful for therapy. Exercise is generally recommended, especially endurance sports such as running or cycling.

Intelligence is the brain's ability to learn and remember things, to adapt easily to new situations and to think abstractly. The intelligence of a person can be measured with special tests. The so-called intelligence quotient (IQ) is determined as a meaningful value.

An IQ of 85 to 115 is considered "normal intelligence". IQ in the range of 70 to 85 is below average; in this case, it is referred to as a learning disability. If the measured value is less than 70, it is an intellectual disability. This is divided into the four severity levels slightly (IQ from 69 to 50), moderately (IQ from 35 to 49), severely (IQ from 20 to 34) and most severe loss of intelligence (IQ under 20).

Unlike previously suspected, genetic defects that trigger intelligence reduction are rarely inherited by children from their parents. Rather, the mutations occur spontaneously in a large proportion of patients. New mutations arise after fertilization of the egg and are not anchored in the genome of the mother or father. In many cases, parents of a child with reduced intelligence do not have a significantly increased risk that their next child will be born with a corresponding impairment.

An intellectual disability is often caused by genetic defects and mutations. In addition, problems before, during and after birth can lead to this, including from premature births or birth traumas. The use of drugs, medicines or alcohol during pregnancy is also a possible trigger. Other causes include brain defects in development and infections. In many cases, however, the exact cause is not known.

The terms "intellectual disability" and "loss of intelligence" are often used interchangeably and refer to the same phenomenon. However, those affected no longer use the term "mental disability", because it is perceived as degrading and is not clearly defined.