Hysteria or hysterical neurosis is a psychoneurosis characterized by transient changes in consciousness, such as periods of amnesia or memory loss, and by several sensory or motor manifestations, also transient, such as tics, loss of skin sensitivity, limb paralysis, blindness or convulsions.
The word "hysteria" comes from the Greek hysterus = "uterus", having been initially described in women, since in Ancient Greece it was thought that the hysterical symptoms they were caused by migratory movements of the uterus in the female body in search of moisture.
However, hysteria is, in fact, a much more common problem in women than in men. Usually affects people with hysterical personality, that is, with a strong tendency to be the center of attention, seduce and sensualize social and affective reactions, manipulate or confuse reality and dramatize conflicts.
Another important trait of this personality type is an obvious power of auto-suggestion, which makes these individuals vulnerable and dependent in their personal relationships, which can disturb their sensory perceptions.
However, from a psychological point of view, it is considered that hysteria may be caused by conflicts experienced during childhood, which were repressed and forgotten, but, after a few years, are unconsciously activated in certain situations.
These manifestations, even according to this perspective, could also cause a beneficial side effect to the person, as they would be able to evade certain responsibilities or receive more attention from people who surround.
Hysteria triggers different types of psychic manifestations and physical in the form of transient episodes, designated, respectively, by:
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Psychic accidents:
- Loss of memory from a certain stage of life;
- Personality multiplication situations;
- Sleepwalking states;
- Crises of loss of consciousness;
- Hallucinations.
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somatic accidents -They can affect the functioning of all organs or systems of the body, which can manifest as:
- Loss of mobility or muscle contractures in a limb;
- Abdominal pain attacks;
- transient blindness states;
- Loss of skin sensitivity.
Although the hysterical personality is chronic, by definition, hysteria does not usually last for many years, except in some cases where physical manifestations predominate.