The manifestation of incontinence and excessive emotionality, nervous attacks, tears and cries are sometimes not just a display of absurd character and whims. These symptoms are nothing but signs of a hysterical disorder that affects people of any age and both sexes.
What is hysteria?
Mental disorder of mild and moderate severity is hysteria. It is an out-of-date medical diagnosis, to which a number of mental abnormalities of behavior and well-being correspond. For a long time, hysteria was considered a woman's disease, and its cause was seen in "untying" and "wandering" around the uterus, which, of course, does not correspond to reality. But from here there was a popular name for the disease - "rabies of the uterus".
Hysteria in Psychology
For the first time the diagnosis of hysteria was described by Hippocrates, then Plato spoke of it, describing it as "rabies" into which the uterus empties, unable to conceive. It was believed that the manifestation of the syndrome in men is impossible. Nowadays a term is understood as a neurosis arising from an individual with hysterical personality traits. His actions are determined by emotions, often exaggerated and dramatized, and not by the intellect. Hysterical persons tend to emphasize their exclusiveness and demonstrate frankly provocative behavior.
This neurotic disease of hysteria has a variety of clinical manifestations. The nature of the disease is a disorder of motor and visual functions, mental states of the patient. Hysterical persons are egocentric, easily suggestible, demonstrative and flirtatious, inclined to fiction. They show increased demands and claims to others, but not to themselves.
Hysteria on Freud
Hysteria in psychoanalysis Zygmund Freud was considered and analyzed, which included her as neuroses and distinguished her from phobia. He made a great contribution to the study of the disease and proved the possibility of its development in men. According to Freud, hysteria arises from the fact that a person pushes an unbearable memory out of consciousness, but it does not disappear. The affect is formed, which causes excitation. Get rid of hysterical syndrome, you can with the help of psychoanalysis.
Hysteria - Causes
Not only external but also internal factors can cause pathology, but at the heart of hysteria are always individual behavioral features of a person. The weaker the emotionally the individual, the more likely that he will develop a disease. The pathology arises after conflicts and neuropsychic overstrain. Attack of hysteria can cause such factors as:
- injuries;
- physical overload;
- some physical illnesses;
- dissatisfaction with work;
- unfavorable situation in the family;
- alcohol or drug abuse;
- uncontrolled use of tranquilizers and hypnotics.
Types of hysteria
Sigmund Freud in his analytical works made distinctions, what kind of hysteria are. He identified two types of this pathology: hysteria of fear and conversion hysteria. In the first case, the patient does not overcome his phobia (today this diagnosis is called phobic neurosis). Obsessions arise against the will of man. Conversion hysteria is characterized by the patient's attempt to cope with his problem, translating the psychic conflict into bodily symptoms. In both cases, the main feature of the development of the disease is protection from internal experiences and conflicts by repression.
Hysteria - symptoms and signs
Signs of the disease there are many - for many centuries, the cause was considered to be "wandering" of the uterus in the body of a woman. The symptomatology is not clear until now, and it is not easy to recognize the syndrome. The following signs of hysteria are considered basic:
- unhealthy, artificial behavior, games for the public;
- mood swings;
- need for attention, encouragement and approval of others;
- the exploitation of other people's feelings and psychological parasitism;
- nosophilia (reluctance to recover);
- self-hypnosis and external suggestibility;
- lack of enthusiasm and interests, immaturity of the individual.
The diagnosis is confirmed if there are three or more symptoms. Although before all the abnormal overemotional behavior was characterized as a demonstrative hysteria. Scream, laughter and tears, paralysis, deafness, convulsions, increased sexual activity - all these were signs of developing disease. Only later the diagnosis broke up into species with a great deal of specificity: Freud's, somatoform and personality disorders.
Hysteria in women - symptoms
The weaker sex is more emotional, especially susceptible to neuroses and mood swings. There is also such a diagnosis as hysteria before menstruation, when women become depressed and become whiny and irritable. But the disorder depends on the state of the body, rather than mental abnormalities . Considered female hysteria, is one of the forms of neurosis and manifests itself in unconscious behavior and inability to control their thoughts and actions.
The main signs of the manifestation of hysteria: self-centeredness, resentment, desire to manipulate, suggestibility, superficial emotionality. Disorders can occur throughout life. The length of the attack depends on how much attention is paid to the patient. Hysterical persons are dependent on the opinions of others and play on the public.
Hysteria in men - symptoms
Approximately the same symptoms and course of the disease are observed in representatives of the stronger sex. The patient tries to attract maximum attention, but there is also a strong behavioral change. Actions in customary situations are non-standard. Hysteria in men has the following interesting symptoms:
- frequent mood changes from laughter to crying;
- uncertain gait "with a wobble";
- complaints of lack of air and heart pain;
- headache;
- lack of sensitivity in some parts of the body.
Hysteria in children - symptoms
As a kind of neurosis, childhood hysteria is quite a frequent phenomenon. It is observed in children of different ages, often accompanied by outbreaks of anger and astasia-abasia syndrome, when the child refuses to walk and randomly moves his legs and hands. Seizures can result in convulsions, paralysis, auditory and visual impairments. Older children show theatricality of behavior. Young patients are very vulnerable, require increased attention, like to fantasize and vaccinate. In the environment of other people, a child can demonstrate unexpected and unnatural behavior for him.
How to cure hysteria?
The main factor in the successful treatment of hysterical neurosis is the identification of the main cause that gave impetus to the development of neuropsychiatric exhaustion. Then you need to completely eliminate it or minimize the significance. It is important to understand what the physicians' efforts will initially be directed at: removing acute symptoms or resolving an internal conflict.
Violation of the balance of the psyche should not be left without attention, and at the first signs of the syndrome treatment should be applied so that the neurosis does not go into the chronic stage. Treatment of hysteria is conducted by psychotherapists. After studying the nature of pathology and symptoms, interviews with the patient and relatives, the patient is prescribed psychotherapeutic sessions, and sometimes hypnosis. Psychoanalytic therapy can change the attitude of the patient. It is also possible drug treatment - taking sedatives - but they are ineffective in personality disorders.
Hysteria - treatment with folk remedies
Since the disease of hysteria is known since ancient times, there are many people's methods of getting rid of it. So far, they are useful, effective and can be an addition to the main course of treatment. At home, the condition of the patient can be greatly facilitated by the use of medicinal herbs: valerian, mint, chamomile, lemon balm, hops cone infusion. Herbal infusions and decoctions can be added to the baths. The royal jelly has a positive effect on the nervous system. It must be taken on a course, daily for 10 days, eating a teaspoonful.
Hysterical syndrome - this is a serious ailment, and it is necessary to treat his treatment very responsibly. It is important to take only tested drugs and quality ingredients, keep in touch with a doctor-psychotherapist. An integrated approach to eliminating the problem will help get rid of hysteria or significantly reduce its manifestations and alleviate the condition of the patient.