Hysteria

Hysteria is a neuropsychiatric disease belonging to the group of neuroses.

Hysteria develops in people with a weakened nervous system under the influence of psychic trauma and is a reaction of a given person to a situation that he is not able to endure.

The manifestations of hysteria are extremely diverse. It is manifested by various seizures, paralysis, twitching of certain muscle groups, sensory disturbances, etc. The listed hysterical symptoms can be fixed for a long time, and then it is very difficult to get rid of them. Hysterical seizures sometimes manifest themselves in the form of convulsions, but can proceed as fainting, an attack of angina pectoris and bronchial asthma, intestinal spasm and other conditions. That is why sufficiently complete information about the patient, her experiences and events that preceded the disease play an important role in recognizing the true nature of the disease.

With hysteria, patients, on the one hand, emphasize the excessive severity of their suffering – terrible, unbearable pain, shaking chills, the unusual nature of painful symptoms, the exclusivity and incomprehensibility of the disease, etc., on the other hand, they show, as it were, indifference to the “paralyzed limb” , are not weighed down by “blindness” or the improbability of speaking.

With a long course of the disease, if appropriate treatment is not carried out, changes in character and behavior may appear. Patients become irritable, selfish, in their actions features of demonstrativeness, theatricality are found. They seek to attract attention at any cost. They easily change mood. Moreover, in their activities they are traditionally guided not by a logical assessment of their actions, but by their emotional experiences. All signs indicate that the disease has taken on a chronic course and its treatment requires significant efforts not only by the sick person and his relatives, but also by a psychiatrist.

It should be remembered that the manifestations of hysterical neurosis appear in an unbearable, “hopeless” situation for the sick person and are a kind of protection. Therefore, the denial of the disease by others using such recommendations as “pull yourself together”, “there is no disease, it’s all nerves”, can only lead to a worsening of the condition. If a hysterical reaction has arisen, it is necessary, without denying the fact of the disease, to calm the sick person, put him to bed, remove all sympathizers from the room under the pretext of needing rest, give water, make the light less bright, etc. the occurrence of hysterical disorders and their fixation for a long period, suggestion and self-hypnosis play a significant role, it is not necessary to show excessive anxiety, anxiety in the presence of the sick person, discuss the severity of his condition in the presence of the patient,

After the symptoms of the hysterical reaction have passed, in soothing conversations it will be necessary to emphasize that the disease is caused by worries and feelings, and since the causes of the disease are known, the sick person can be cured.

Prevention is to eliminate factors that adversely affect the nervous system. Useful systematic work, sports, walks. When the first symptoms of hysteria appear.