Hysteria (hysterical neurosis) is a complex neuropsychic disease that belongs to the group of neuroses. Manifests itself in the form of a specific psycho-emotional state. At the same time, there are no visible pathological changes in the nervous system. The disease can strike a person at almost any age. Women are more susceptible to the disease than men.
Do not self-medicate. At the first signs of illness, consult a doctor.
- Etiology
- Symptoms
- Pathogenesis
- Mental disorders
- Diagnostics
- Treatment
- Forecast
- Prevention
Etiology
Hysterical neurosis can only develop in an emotionally weak person who is often in stressful situations or conflicts. The patient’s environment and his general health also play a significant role. Histrionic personality disorder can be triggered by the following factors:
- somatic diseases;
- severe injuries of a physiological and psychological nature;
- alcohol abuse or drug use;
- uncontrolled use of sleeping pills and tranquilizers.
As medical practice shows, hysterical neurosis most often develops in people from a dysfunctional family or due to an environment unusual for their character. A person’s psychotype and character also play a significant role.
Is hysteria a female diagnosis?
For a long time it was believed that this was an exclusively female disease. A hysterical woman is found in many books, psychological works, dissertations, and simply in the conversations of ordinary people. Remember, for example, the mother of the girls from Pride and Prejudice. She gets attention all the time, she manipulates people with her attacks, she becomes dramatic about any event, even if it does not directly affect her.
And although this disease is more common among women, men are also susceptible to this disease. [4] However, it is very difficult for representatives of the stronger sex to realize the fact of their hysteria.
But there is no shame in it, whether you are a man or a woman. This is a disease, not a simulation. And a person needs help in overcoming the problem. Of course, only a doctor can make a diagnosis, but let's analyze some signs of the disease that will help you recognize the disease. We will also look at hysteria in women, symptoms and treatment.
Symptoms
The symptoms of hysteria are quite ambiguous. In other words, the patient can subconsciously feign a particular illness. The most common symptoms of hysteria include the following:
- hysterical fits;
- sensitivity disorder;
- speech disorders;
- spasms in the throat - the patient has difficulty swallowing;
- paralysis;
- movement disorders;
- disturbance in the functioning of internal organs;
- mental disorders;
- hysterical laughter.
Forecast
As a rule, with a professional approach, hysteria can be easily corrected. If a person lives in favorable conditions, everything is normal in his personal life and work, then coping with the disease is not difficult.
Although in some cases certain elements of demonstrative behavior may remain. As a person grows older, he becomes more serious and wiser. Thanks to the help of a psychotherapist, he learns to use his character traits for his own benefit.
A less optimistic prognosis for those patients who suffer from autonomic disorders provoked by hysteria. Decompensation in such patients occurs in old age.
If the patient is prone to pathological fantasizing, then treatment becomes more complicated. All of these people are chronic liars. Moreover, they deceive without any specific purpose; their lies make no sense. The progression of the disease can lead to the fact that a person begins to denigrate himself. For example, he may confess to a crime he did not commit. If such a patient is not treated, there is a possibility that the personality will deteriorate.
Pathogenesis
As a rule, hysterical neurosis develops in stages. Initially, hysterical attacks appear. The first symptom may be causeless hysterical laughter. In most cases, such an attack can end as abruptly as it began. In addition, a person may experience physiological symptoms:
- cardiopalmus;
- lump in throat (“hysterical lump”);
- seizures or paralysis;
- lack of air.
Hysterical crying
Such a convulsive attack may be accompanied by hysterical laughter or crying, and the patient may tear his clothes. The face may be pale or red. It is worth noting that such a mechanism for the development of the disease is not observed in a sleeping person. As practice shows, the patient himself remembers such a seizure well.
As hysteria develops, disturbances in the functioning of the sensory organs may occur—hearing and vision may deteriorate. At this stage of the development of the disease, the symptom of “hysterical blindness” sometimes occurs - the patient has difficulty seeing in one or both eyes.
At later stages of development of hysterical neurosis, disturbances in the functioning of internal organs, as well as speech, are observed. The following symptoms may appear:
- feeling of a lump in the throat;
- lack of appetite;
- esophageal spasm;
- a sore throat;
- paralysis;
- pain in the heart area.
What to do after a tantrum?
Most people feel empty and confused after an emotional outburst. “When they regain consciousness,” they often have difficulty understanding what they have done. Many do not remember what they did and how they behaved at this time.
When the hysteria ends, do not be outraged by the person’s behavior, do not remind him of what happened. If necessary, give him a sedative - hawthorn infusion or a few drops of motherwort tincture. You can give him warm tea. And after that go to bed.
Polina Nikitina
Mental disorders
Separately, it is worth highlighting mental disorders in hysterical neurosis. The basis of this manifestation of the disease is the hysterical nature of behavior, which is practically always accompanied by hysterical laughter or causeless crying. During such attacks, a lump in the throat is almost always felt, and partial paralysis may sometimes be present.
At this stage of the development of the disease, hysteria can manifest itself in the form of the following symptoms:
- the patient strives to be the center of attention;
- mood swings - hysterical laughter and increased activity are abruptly replaced by anger or complete apathy to what is happening.
The patient’s behavior contains too many unusual gestures and theatricality. In other words, the patient behaves unnaturally.
At the same time, it is worth noting that symptoms such as paralysis, a lump in the throat and hysterical laughter should not always be considered as hysterical personality disorder. These typical signs may indicate other, more serious mental disorders. Therefore, if such behavior is unusual for a person, you should immediately consult a neurologist.
Causes
Initially, hysterics were considered a purely female prerogative and were explained by the peculiarities of female logic and the influence of hormones on the psycho-emotional state of the fair sex. Connected with this idea is the fact that the word “hysterical” exists only in the feminine gender. It was also generally accepted that children often tend to wear out for no reason due to the impossibility and inability, due to immaturity of the psyche, to express accumulated emotions in any other way.
Over time, views changed, it became obvious that many men quite often violently express their emotions, falling into a hysterical state, just like women. It’s just that often their hysterics are not like women’s. They prefer to act more cunningly, deftly manipulating others, but they can also often be rude and aggressive and it happens that their actions cause harm to themselves or others, while female hysteria is less often of a seriously destructive nature.
Among the common causes of hysteria are the following:
| Desire to attract attention | Sometimes adults want to attract attention to themselves and at the same time it does not matter to them what assessment others give to their actions. |
| Character traits | Hysterics are typical for people suffering from various types of disorders - narcissistic, paranoid, obsessive-compulsive. Often such individuals perceive reality distortedly and when this is pointed out to them, such remarks cause anger in them. |
| The individual has addictions | Irrational outbursts serve as a reason to justify one’s desire to use harmful substances (alcohol, drugs), since in this case the artificial stimulant acts as a kind of tool for relieving stress, which a person considers himself entitled to resort to to relieve tension after a demonstrative hysteria. |
| Switching attention | In some cases, a person may throw a tantrum in order to divert attention from something else. So, for example, it may be when one of the partners was practically caught cheating, having found some indirect evidence, and he, wanting to divert attention from this topic, begins to make a big scandal about another matter. |
| Defense or Regression | Hysteria in this situation acts as an unconscious psychological defense mechanism that a person uses when he feels vulnerable and weak. |
| Desire to manipulate | Hysteria is the most primitive way to achieve something, and dishonest, unscrupulous people often use this technique, wanting to achieve their goals. |
| Shame, fear | In some cases, hysteria may be a reaction to a previously experienced severe stressful situation (rape, beating). Moreover, any similar circumstances can provoke unpleasant memories in the victim and cause hysteria. |
| Guilt | Sometimes a person knows that he is to blame for something, but for some reason does not want to take responsibility and admit his mistakes, but chooses a different path - he behaves demonstratively, throwing tantrums and blaming others for what is happening. |
Diagnostics
To diagnose hysteria, as a rule, instrumental and laboratory tests are not required. During a personal examination by a neurologist, the patient himself can more clearly express the following symptoms:
- increased tendon reflexes;
- "spasms" in the throat;
- hysterical laughter;
- tremor of fingers.
Additional “symptoms” that appear precisely during an examination by a doctor clearly indicate hysterical personality disorder. Laboratory tests are taken only if other underlying diseases are suspected.
Despite the fact that hysteria has well-defined signs, before starting treatment, it is necessary to conduct a special examination. Some symptoms, such as paralysis and sore throat, may indicate other psychiatric disorders. Therefore, treatment of hysteria should begin only after examination by a specialist and an accurate diagnosis. Self-medication is unacceptable.
Why does hysteria happen?
Not every person experiences hysteria. This explosion of emotions is characteristic, as a rule, of creative and excitable people. Hysteria occurs to release tension. Usually it accumulates for quite a long time. A person maintains external calm for a long time and behaves adequately. And then one day a breakdown occurs and hysteria begins.
The cause of hysteria can be a contradiction between the desire for something and the inability to satisfy it. This is especially pronounced in young children. After all, at an early age they still do not know how to control their desires.
Sometimes hysteria can be caused by an unexpected strong experience, which happens in difficult life circumstances. Often from one’s own powerlessness and inability to change anything.
Treatment
Histrionic personality disorder does not always require hospitalization. In most cases, treatment of hysteria can be successfully carried out at home, if there is a favorable atmosphere for this.
For hysterical neurosis, both drug treatment and occupational therapy are used. If the patient has symptoms such as paralysis, sore throat, convulsions, seizure-relieving drugs are prescribed. If the patient is too excitable, the doctor may prescribe the following medications:
- valerian;
- bromine;
- tranquilizers.
Along with such medications, drugs with a general strengthening spectrum of action are prescribed. In some cases, sleeping pills are prescribed.
In combination with drug treatment, occupational therapy is used for hysteria. This will help distract the patient from the symptoms and make him socially adapted. It is important that at this stage of treatment, others treat the sick person as equals, without focusing on his illness.
Hysteria can also be treated using traditional methods. In this case, it is herbal medicine. As prescribed by your doctor, you can use decoctions of the following herbs:
- valerian;
- motherwort.
Pine-salt baths and acupressure also help patients well. But it is worth taking into account that any treatment methods should be used only as prescribed by a neurologist.
Treatment of hysterical psychosis should be mandatory and only as prescribed by a doctor. Even if the symptoms disappear as a result of self-medication, a relapse of the disease can occur at any time.
Test for hysteria
To determine whether you should consider having a problem, we suggest taking psychological testing. Check the statements with which you agree:
1) You tend to dramatize, exaggerate emotions, and theatrically talk about the events that happened.
2) You are suggestible, that is, you are easily influenced by other people or circumstances.
3) Your emotions are shallow, they often change very quickly. You can cry, and a minute later you can laugh.
4) You strive for actions and situations that will allow you to attract attention to yourself.
5) You are characterized by excessive seductiveness. This applies to appearance and behavior.
6) You are very concerned about your attractiveness.
If at least 4 out of 6 signs are typical for you or your loved ones, then you should pay special attention to this problem and undergo a more detailed diagnosis.
