Hysteria is a condition of psychic disturbance appearing in persons of nervous instability, when subjected considerable emotional strain or physical injuries.
CAUSES OF HYSTERIA
- The exact cause is unknown.
- Most probable causes are- Mostly female young and aged.
- Heredity- family history is often present.
- Characteristic hysteric type of personality is usually present.
- Mental stress.
- Constitutional factors.
SYMPTOMS OF HYSTERIA
- Sensory symptom- Blindness or deafness,anaesthesia and pain,deficiency of taste or smell hysterical abdominal pain, vomiting, may be present.
- Motor symptoms – Paralysis, spasms and tremor. Hysterical fits occur when there is an audience and consist of a thrashing about the limbs with the eyesfirmly shut.
- Mental symptoms – Loss of memory, delirious, hystericalpseudo-dementia, stupor, hysterical excitements, hysterical phobias, hystericalanxiety & depressive states. There may be ceaseless laughing or crying.
- Other symptoms – Compensation neurosis, engagement neurosis, anorexia nervosa, breathlessness, palpitation, praecordial pain, blepharospasm, mutism,aphonia, explosive utterances or stammering may be present.
- The characteristic points are – wasting, loss of response to electrica lstimuli and aberration of tendon or superficial reflexes or of sphincter control asare found in organic nerve lesions, absent.
PROGNOSIS
It depends on the personality, environment andtreatment adopted.
MANAGEMENT
The treatment of hysteria is mainly psychological.
Relief of focal symptoms may be given by suggestion, persuasion or by re-education.Underlying cause should also be treated. Supportive, interpretative or other methods of psychotherapy may be employed. Environmental factors should be readjusted as far as possible. Gradually- patient is to rehabilitate intonormal activities.
Drug treatment – this has probably no role except when depression or anxiety neurosis plays some part in the background (for mental satisfaction of the patient, placebo may be prescribed.