Hysteria - Symptoms, Treatment, Forms, Stages, Diagnosis

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Hysteria

The content of the article:

1. Causes and risk factors
2. Symptoms
3. Diagnostics
4. Treatment
5. Possible complications and consequences
6. Forecast
7. Prevention

Hysteria (hysterical neurosis) is a mental disorder that manifests itself in the form of affective, sensory, motor and autonomic disorders and is associated with the patient's desire to attract attention.

Hysteria is more common in women than in men

Hysterical disorders are more often observed in persons with a labile psyche, emotionally unbalanced, with increased impressionability, suggestibility and narcissistic qualities. Any change in the situation can cause a violent reaction in them. In addition, such people often have a desire to attract the attention of others to themselves by any means - with the aim of further manipulating them.

Hysteria is often observed in children from disadvantaged families. In women, this pathology of the psyche occurs several times more often than in men. In the general structure of morbidity with neuroses, hysteria accounts for about 30%. In the nature of patients suffering from hysteria, the following features are distinguished:

• excessive sociability;
• self-dramatization, theatricality, demonstrativeness of actions;
• egocentrism;
• the desire to focus on your personality;
• striving for leadership in the family and (or) the team;
• the desire to manipulate people;
• pronounced fantasy up to deceit;
• infantilism;
• heightened self-esteem;
• suggestibility.

Causes and risk factors

The main reason for the formation of hysterical seizures is the hysterical mentality. This condition can also develop in individuals with excitable and schizoid personality disorders.

According to Z. Freud, the causes of mental disorders in absolutely all patients with hysterical neurosis are rooted in childhood. These can be experienced mental trauma, as well as sexual complexes.

In most cases, the causes of hysteria lie in childhood.

Any sudden stressful situations (death of a loved one, conflict in a family or team, threat to life, break with a loved one) serve as a trigger factor for the appearance of hysteria. The hysteria arising against their background gives patients the opportunity not only to throw out their emotions, but also to derive certain benefits for themselves, for example, to gain the participation and sympathy of others. This behavior is then reinforced.

Symptoms

Unlike psychopathy, the symptoms of hysteria are clearly manifested under the condition of the obligatory presence of other people, that is, the presence of obvious demonstrativeness is characteristic. All signs of hysteria come and go suddenly. They are not associated with any organic change.

In the clinical picture of hysteria, motor disorders are present:

• impaired coordination of movements;
• hand tremor;
• aphonia (loss of voice);
• hyperkinesis (muscle tics);
• convulsions.

During the examination of the patient by the doctor, the manifestations of hysterical neurosis intensify.

The manifestations of hysteria have characteristic features that distinguish them from the symptoms of somatic diseases:

• for hysterical aphonia, the absence of a voice is characteristic, but at the same time the sonority of coughing remains, since with hysterical paralysis, patients do not develop atrophy of muscle tissues;
• trying to attract attention, patients simulate fainting, breathing disorders, rush, wring their hands. But if at the moment of a seizure their attention is switched to other objects, the manifestations of hysteria disappear or their severity sharply decreases.

Hysteria can also be accompanied by sensory disturbances. They are manifested either by an increase in sensitivity (hyperesthesia), or, conversely, by its decrease or absence. At the same time, patients clearly indicate the localization of areas with impaired sensitivity. Sensory disturbances in hysteria include areas of pain in any part of the body.

Hysteria may be accompanied by hyperesthesia - increased sensitivity of certain parts of the body

Often, with hysteria, one or two-sided blindness or deafness is observed. Some patients complain of a decrease in the field of vision or incorrect color perception, but their ability to adequately orient themselves in the surrounding space is not impaired. Deafness in most cases is combined with disturbances in the sensitivity of the skin of the auricle.

The vegetative manifestations of hysteria are very diverse. These include:

• nausea and vomiting;
• labored breathing;
• pain in the region of the heart or other internal organs;
• refusal to eat due to false esophageal spasm;
• dizziness and headache;
• itchy skin.

Another manifestation of hysteria is theatrical seizures. Wanting to attract attention to himself or achieve his requirements, the patient bends in an arc and falls "rightly", trying to do it safely for himself. Then he begins to bang his head on the floor, swing his limbs, cry bitterly or laugh out loud, showing with all his appearance that he is suffering terrible suffering. With a hysterical seizure, the patient retains a reaction of the pupils, consciousness is not lost, the face is pale or red. If the patient is slapped or doused with cold water, the seizure stops. These signs make it possible to distinguish a hysterical seizure from an epileptic one.

Diagnostics

The main criterion in the diagnosis of hysteria is that the patient has many serious complaints in the absence of organic lesions. To exclude other diseases, a thorough laboratory and instrumental examination is carried out.

If necessary, the patient consults an epileptologist, neurosurgeon, neurologist or other specialists.

Treatment

The main method of treatment for hysteria is psychotherapy. It allows you to establish the true cause of the onset of hysterical neurosis and teach the patient to adequately respond to life's difficulties.

The main treatment for hysteria is psychotherapy

Medical therapy for hysteria is carried out:

• tranquilizers;
• sedative herbal remedies;
• sleeping pills (for insomnia);
• fortifying agents.

Possible complications and consequences

With hysteria, patients may experience neurological disorders (unsteadiness of gait, blindness, lack of speech, deafness) that can cause disruption to work and social adaptation, the development of severe depressive conditions.

Forecast

The prognosis for hysteria is favorable. It worsens in patients with severe somatic diseases or organic lesions of the central nervous system.

Prevention

Prevention of the development of hysteria is based on measures aimed at preventing disorders of nervous processes and psyche, increasing the resistance of the central nervous system to stress. It is especially important to carry out these activities in relation to children, since the hysterical personality structure begins to form at an early age.

It is necessary to limit the child's fantasies and imaginations to reasonable limits, involve him in communicating with peers and playing sports, avoid overprotection, and not indulge attempts to attract attention with tantrums. The upbringing of a baby should take place in a calm atmosphere, which will create the preconditions for the formation of a full-fledged personality.

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Elena Minkina Doctor anesthesiologist-resuscitator About the author

Education: graduated from the Tashkent State Medical Institute, specializing in general medicine in 1991. Repeatedly passed refresher courses.

Work experience: anesthesiologist-resuscitator of the city maternity complex, resuscitator of the hemodialysis department.

The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!