What is Hysteria, What Are Its Symptoms and Characteristics?

Psychological disorders are often considered difficult to diagnose and treat. Thanks to the developments in today’s world, both diagnosis and treatment are now easier, but this was not the case a few centuries ago. Today, for the diagnosis of different psychological disorders Hysteria, seen as a symptom, was considered a disorder in itself for many years.

The most interesting information about hysteria dates back to Ancient Egypt. Because the doctors who lived in that period They thought hysteria was a mental illness unique to women. Important names such as Freud also carried out studies on hysteria, which is more clearly defined in the modern period. Let’s look at the answers given by science from past to present to the question of what hysteria is, which we still encounter today.

Let’s start by making a basic definition; What is hysteria?

It is thought to have been discovered for the first time in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. Hysteria is a term used to describe certain behaviors. These movements, defined as hysterical behaviors, are extremely emotional reactions that are excessive and out of control. After 1980, people who exhibit such behavior are diagnosed differently than hysterical.

So, what exactly does hysteria mean?

Hysterical, which has become a concept we use in daily life, actually fully meets the definition of hysteria. of a person overly emotional, suddenly changing, behaviors that appear to be movement disorders and may even lead to momentary memory loss; is hysteria. The person who exhibits these behaviors is called hysterical, and such actions are defined as hysterical behaviors.

In ancient times, women were thought to be hysterical due to uterine movements:

During Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece, that is, thousands of years ago, hysteria was defined by physicians as a mental illness. But it was thought that only women had this disease. ‘Maybe they thought it was related to the menstrual cycle.’ If you say so, you are wrong. According to those who lived at that time, the reason why women had hysteria was the theory of the wandering womb, which Plato also studied.

According to the wandering womb theory because a woman’s uterus is constantly moving up and down It was driving the woman crazy and causing her to behave hysterically. To prevent this, the Egyptians put a foul-smelling substance into the cervix of women. Greek physician Celsus recommended preserving virginity and abstinence to prevent this.

In the 17th century, it was understood what hysteria was, and of course later Freud got involved in the subject:

From ancient times to the 17th century, that is, almost For more than two thousand years, hysteria was believed to be a mental illness caused by women’s wombs. Fortunately, British Doctor Thomas Willis, one of the founders of the Royal Society, revealed that hysteria is a psychological disorder that is also seen in men.

The first person to approach the subject in the field of psychoanalysis was the French Neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, who lived in the 19th century. Charcot used hypnosis to treat a hysterical female patient. During this period, Sigmund Freud, known as the father of psychoanalysis, followed Charcot and took things one step further.

Freud, of course, showed the sexual neurosis that the patient pushed out of consciousness as the cause of hysteria. In a hysterical female patient Working with his colleague Josef Breuer, Freud found that a method he called talking therapy was incredibly effective on hysteria.

Today, patients are no longer diagnosed with hysteria:

Until 1980, patients exhibiting hysterical behavior were diagnosed with conversion type hysterical neurosis. But APA so American Psychological Association In 1980, he changed this diagnosis to conversion disorder. Nowadays, diagnoses such as dissociative and somatic disorders can be made depending on the patient’s other symptoms.

There are some very clear signs of hysteria:

• emotional outbursts
• hallucinating
• overly excited movements
• sensory loss
• Trance-like behavior
• temporary memory loss
• Partial temporary paralysis
• Fainting
• Having epileptic-like seizures
• muscle pain
• muscle spasm

These are some of the most clearly visible symptoms, especially in a person experiencing a sudden and intense hysteria attack. But as we said Because people are no longer directly diagnosed with hysteria Such symptoms are not always considered signs of hysteria.

Okay, but what causes hysteria?

Although there are exceptions to dissociative and somatic disorders, which are now diagnoses instead of hysteria, It is known that the main reason is psychological. Most of the time, these disorders occur as a result of a physical, sexual or emotional trauma experienced during childhood. Staying in a disaster and conflict-like environment also triggers this.

It is possible to say that this is partially true for a phenomenon called hysterical contagion. Of course, this does not spread like a virus. But it is possible that the same groups of people develop trauma due to their experiences in similar periods, which can turn into hysteria and trigger each other and occur at the same time. Because similar social and psychological effects can cause similar symptoms.

So, is it possible to treat hysteria?

Of course its possible. Unfortunately, the person may not always be aware that he or she is exhibiting hysterical behavior. Because The real work falls on those who are with that person. You should warn the person who exhibits such behavior about the issue and tell him to get psychological help. The earlier intervention is made, the faster the results are obtained.

Of course, the most appropriate treatment will be given by a specialist, but people who exhibit hysterical behavior need to cope with this situation. doing mindfulness practice exercises, They are recommended to do breathing exercises, keep a diary, be physically active and have a healthy sleep.

It is a psychological disorder that has been known for thousands of years. What is hysteria, what are its symptoms and characteristics? We answered frequently asked questions such as: What we say is for informational purposes only. Remember that, as with all health issues, you should get the most accurate and personalized information about hysteria from an expert.

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