Hysteria is a nervous disease that is characterized by frequent psychic changes and emotional alterations that may be accompanied by convulsions, paralysis and suffocation. It is a psychological disorder framed within the typology of neuroses. One of its characteristics is that it becomes physically or psychologically somatized without apparent causes. Sometimes it causes the patient to create different personalities.
The causes of this disorder are diverse and among them are stress situations, extreme emotional situations, traumatic experiences or being in a depressive state. It is also associated with hereditary factors.
Hysteria can cause many different symptoms:
– Memory loss.
– Paroxysms.
– Respiration problems.
– Difficulty swallowing.
– Muscle pain.
– Panic attacks.
– Digestive problems that cause diarrhea.
– Dermatological sensitivity.
– Sexual inhibition.
– Incomplete vision.
– Motor problems.
– Dizziness and vomiting.
– Hysterical laughter.
– Splitting of personality
To make a diagnosis, the doctor needs to talk to the patient and do a physical and psychological examination to determine if the symptoms fit those of this disease. Additionally, he will order general analyzes to know the patient’s physical health status.
The usual treatment is psychoanalysis, a technique that owes much of its birth to hysteria, which was a problem addressed by Freud in his studies. The word ‘hysteria’ comes from Greek as a derivation of the word uterus, since it was thought to be the cause of the disease. It was later discovered that this was not the case and that it also affected men. Psychoanalytic theory indicates that behind hysteria there are repressed sexual desires.
There are no preventive measures that guarantee the non-appearance of the disease, but it is advisable to follow healthy eating guidelines and avoid excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs.