Hysteria is a neurotic disorder with a psychological background, classified as dissociative disorders, in the international ICD-10 classification marked with the number F44.
Hysteria – an interesting history of the disease
Hysteria was considered a condition that only affects women, but it is now known to be a type of neurosis that also affects men. The name of this ailment comes from ancient Greek, where the word “hystera” means uterus.
The symptom complex today known as hysteria was described as early as the XNUMXth century BC in ancient Egypt. At that time, it was believed that the uterus, being a living animal, moved around the body, compressing individual organs and causing characteristic symptoms such as shortness of breath. Attempts were made to lure them back to the lower torso with nice scents, and scare them away from the head with ugly ones. In ancient Greece, hysterical behavior was called uterine dyspnea. It was supposed to be caused by sexual abstinence, as a result of which the uterus dries up and moves towards the moist organs: the diaphragm, liver, lungs and heart, which causes the airway to be cut, i.e. shortness of breath. Hippocrates distinguished the following symptoms of hysteria: shortness of breath, anxiety, amenorrhea, numbness of the legs, dizziness, inversion of the whites of the eyes, drop in body temperature, salivation, jaw clenching. Soranos of Ephesus in the XNUMXnd century AD formulated the theory that hysteria was caused by contraction of the uterus.
The Middle Ages considered hysteria to be caused by the displacement of the uterus or by possession and witchcraft. In the revival, the source of hysterical attacks was seen especially in possession by evil powers, and women experiencing attacks of hysteria were suspected of having dealings with Satan. According to the tradition of the humoral theory practiced as the basis of academic medicine in modern times, and having an ancient origin, the cause of hysteria could be poisoning with rotting semen, fluid secreted by the uterus that replaces semen (in the absence of intercourse) or the accumulation of black bile, i.e. melancholic humor in the patient’s head. The primary remedy at that time was an enema.
Another theory was the theory of vapors, or fermentation vapors that cause various diseases, found in blood vessels or the nervous system. Their excess went to the brain, causing attacks. Recommended treatments included phlebotomy, laxatives, and enemas. The fathers of the modern concept of the causes of hysteria are Pierre Janet and Sigmund Freud. Janet’s dynamic theory of neuroses describes a hysterical attack as a state of dissociation of experience and body control caused by a decrease in mental tension, resulting in a narrowing of the field of consciousness. The result was the loss of control over mental functions operating in isolation from the patient’s will. Freud found the sources of hysteria in the psychological trauma, which was displaced into the subconscious. The hysterical attack was a way of releasing distorted emotions associated with trauma. Due to the long and intricate history of the term, medicine is currently shifting from using it, using dissociations or conversions interchangeably. Currently, it is called a neurotic disorder with a psychological background, classified as a dissociative disorder, and in the international classification ICD-10 it is marked with the number F44. Today, the causes of this neurosis are also sought in inadequate socialization, lack of closeness and warmth in early childhood, but the trauma theory has more supporters.
Hysteria – symptoms and treatment
An attack of dissociative neurosis consists in losing control over the physical, the way of showing emotions. Characteristic behaviors include crying, screaming, anxiety, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, convulsions, sweating, hiccups, nausea, vomiting, numbness in the limbs, rash, lack of bladder control, various neurological or movement disorders, loss of sense of sight, taste , smell, hearing or touch. The patient’s subconsciousness creates these symptoms by itself, so they are often nonspecific. Treatment is usually long-term psychotherapy, often supported by pharmacological or hypnosis. Untreated neurotic attacks sometimes lead to the development of a hysterical personality, which is characterized by emotional immaturity, impulsiveness, explosiveness, changing moods, hyperactivity.
| Name of the disease / condition | Hysteria |
| Wstęp | It is a neurotic disorder with a psychological background, classified as a dissociative disorder, in the international classification ICD-10 denoted by the number F44. |
| Hysteria – symptoms | Characteristic behaviors include crying, screaming, theatricality of behavior, anxiety, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, convulsions, sweating, hiccups, nausea, vomiting, numbness in the limbs, rash, lack of bladder control, various neurological or movement disorders, loss of sense sight, taste, smell, hearing or touch. |
| Hysteria – causes | Neurotic reaction to psychological trauma, inadequate socialization, lack of closeness and warmth in early childhood. |
| Hysteria – treatment | Long-term psychotherapy, often with pharmacological support or hypnosis. |