Hysteria has two types: conversion disorder and dissociative disorder, both caused by a repressed psychological or emotional experience. Conversion disorder is more common and causes physical symptoms such as pain and inability to use body parts. Dissociative disorder causes memory disruptions and identity changes. Hysteria is a defense mechanism after a traumatic experience and can be treated with psychotherapy and stress management.
Hysteria, or more correctly known as “somatization disorder”, generally has two types. One type is conversion disorder, in which a patient usually complains of a physical illness that has no medical cause. The other type is dissociative disorder, in which the patient experiences disruptions in his memory, consciousness, and awareness of his surroundings. Both types are said to have a common cause: a repressed or suppressed psychological or emotional experience that manifests itself in a physical way.
Of the two types of hysteria, conversion disorder is said to be more common, especially during World War I and World War II, when many underwent traumatic experiences around the world. Common symptoms include pain and an inability to use a body part, such as not being able to lift your arms. One specific symptom called “astasia-abasia” refers to the patient’s inability to stand up or sit down, but strangely the person can easily move their legs when in a relaxed position, such as lying down. In some cases, there is also an inability to use a sensory organ, such as blindness or deafness, or even a predominance of a certain sensation, such as constantly hearing a certain sound. When pain is not involved, partial paralysis or weakness may also be experienced.
According to the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition (DSM-III),” an important criterion for diagnosing a conversion disorder is that the patient is not “faking” or simply making up the pain. He actually feels the pain as real, even if medical tests fail to find an adequate cause for the pain. The physical symptoms also create difficulties in the patient’s social and emotional well-being. Some disorders under conversion hysteria are body dysmorphic disorder, hypochondriasis, and pain disorder.
In the other type of hysteria, dissociative disorder, the patient has “spells” where he does not act like himself and often does not remember incidents. The DSM Fourth Edition defines four disorders under dissociative disorder, one of which is dissociative amnesia in which a person fails to remember certain periods of time and information about his identity such as his address and relatives. Usually, an object, word, or scene triggers a sudden recall, although full recovery of memories may not occur. Another well-known type of dissociative hysteria is dissociative identity disorder, in which the patient is observed to have several identities, the most assertive of which can emerge suddenly during particularly stressful moments. These identity transitions are usually not remembered, but the patient usually arrives disoriented and confused.
As a disorder, hysteria can sometimes be interpreted as the body’s defense mechanism after a traumatic experience, such as sexual abuse, witnessing a murder, or sudden abandonment. Symptoms are usually seen in young adults, but children may also have some symptoms of hysteria, although these are more difficult to diagnose. Psychotherapy and stress management sessions have proven effective in reducing symptoms and, more importantly, uncovering the true root of hysteria.
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