| Hysteria is a neurotic over-reaction to an experience | | | | family is due to a neurotic reaction to some |
| or situation. You are not hysterical in the medical sense | | | | experience or situation, consult your physician. Whether |
| of the word if you normally react to moments of | | | | or not your suspicion is correct, never accuse anyone |
| stress by weeping uncontrollably or shrieking. Many | | | | of faking symptoms. Hysterical people are ill and often |
| people tend to over-dramatize their feelings, and they | | | | overly sensitive. Because hysteria is extremely difficult |
| are not mentally ill because of this tendency. The illness | | | | to diagnose, your doctor will probably want to arrange |
| known as hysteria, sometimes called a conversion | | | | for in hospital tests to rule out the possibility of a |
| reaction, occurs when someone (who mayor may not | | | | physical cause of the symptoms. If the cause appears |
| be normally "highstrung") reacts to severe stress by | | | | to be hysteria, the person will probably be referred to |
| developing physical symptoms that cannot be traced | | | | a specialist. |
| to physical factors. Such people do not realize that | | | | What is The Treatment? |
| their symptoms are caused by hysteria. They, and | | | | The goal of treatment is to discover the underlying |
| usually their families and friends, simply assume they | | | | problem and help the person solve it. No medical |
| have been afflicted with a genuine physical disorder. | | | | treatment can cure symptoms of hysteria, so |
| The problem is often of a kind that helps the person | | | | everything depends on sympathetic, patient |
| with hysteria to escape from a stressful situation. For | | | | psychotherapy. The only drug that may be prescribed |
| example, if you see a terrible accident where you | | | | for hysteria is a tranquilizer to help the person relax |
| work, you may develop a weakness of the legs that | | | | while the underlying problem is being uncovered and |
| prevents you from leaving home the next day or even | | | | the symptoms gradually eliminated. In rare cases a |
| for much longer. Or a total loss of memory (amnesia) | | | | treatment known as "abreaction," which does involve |
| may follow an accident that you yearn to forget. | | | | drugs, may be advised. It works best for people |
| Do not confuse hysteria with psychosomatic illness . | | | | whose hysteria is due to a single, severe emotional |
| Psychosomatic illnesses, though they are affected by | | | | shock. |
| stress, are actual physical disorders. Hysteria is purely | | | | A person undergoing abreaction must lie down in a |
| imaginary illness. | | | | quiet, darkened room. To overcome resistance to |
| What are The Symptoms? | | | | discussing a painful subject, the person is put into a |
| The hysterical reaction may be fairly mild (for instance, | | | | hypnotic state either by breathing ether or being |
| vague pains, weakness, or dizziness) or extremely | | | | injected with a special drug. Then, when fully relaxed, |
| severe (paralysis of the limbs, or sudden blindness). | | | | he or she is asked to recall in detail diseases treatment |
| Less commonly, there may be loss of memory. | | | | the incident that triggered the hysterical reaction. Just |
| Diseases symptoms associated with hysteria are | | | | reliving a suppressed experience in this way often |
| difficult to diagnose, especially since the ill person will | | | | removes symptoms of hysteria. No body knows why |
| deny that there is an emotional problem. | | | | this happens, although there are a number of |
| What Should be Done? | | | | interesting theories. |
| If you suspect that the disability of someone in your | | | | |