Wednesday, March 28, 2012

HYSTERIA, ITS CAUSES AND REMEDIES

Hysteria, in its colloquial use, describes unmanageable emotional excesses. People who are "hysterical" often lose self-control due to an overwhelming fear that may be caused by multiple events in one's past[citation needed] that involved some sort of severe conflict; the fear can be centered on a body part, or, most commonly, on an imagined problem with that body part. Disease is a common complaint; see also Body dysmorphic disorder and Hypochondriasis. Generally, modern medical professionals have given up the use of "hysteria" as a diagnostic category, replacing it with more precisely defined categories such as somatization disorder. In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association officially changed the diagnosis of "hysterical neurosis, conversion type" to "conversion.
Hysteria can also mean a mental disorder arising from intense anxiety. It is characterized by a lack of control over acts and emotions, and by sudden seizures of unconsciousness with emotional outbursts. It is often the result of repressed conflicts within the person. This disease appears in both sexes, but it is far more common in young women between fourteen and twenty five years of age. One of the primary reasons cited for women in this age group experiencing traces of hysteria is the fact that their bodies undergo rapid changes during the child bearing period, causing a number of hormonal imbalances that set off these instances of hysteria. When someone is experiencing a bout of hysteria, it is necessary that people around do not panic, and remain calm themselves. A person who gets hysterical would usually cause others to panic, further worsening the situation. Outbursts of hysteria are not uncommon, but it is necessary to identify the stimulant that is causing the hysteria before attempting to assist the person to overcome his or her fears.
In the Western world, until the seventeenth century, hysteria referred to a medical condition thought to be particular to women and caused by disturbances of the uterus (from the Greek ὑστέρα "hystera" = uterus), such as when a neonate emerges from the female birth canal. The origin of the term hysteria is commonly attributed to Hippocrates, even though the term isn't used in the writings that are collectively known as the Hippocratic corpus.[1] The Hippocratic corpus refers to a variety of illness symptoms, such as suffocation and Heracles' disease, that were supposedly caused by the movement of a woman's uterus to various locations within her body as it became light and dry due to a lack of bodily fluids.[1] One passage recommends pregnancy to cure such symptoms, ostensibly because intercourse will "moisten" the womb and facilitate blood circulation within the body.[1]

By the mid to late 19th century, hysteria (or sometimes female hysteria) came to refer to what is today generally considered to be sexual dysfunction.[2] Typical treatment was massage of the patient's genitalia by the physician and, later, by vibrators or water sprays to cause orgasm.[2]

A more modern understanding of hysteria as a psychological disorder was advanced by the work of Jean-Martin Charcot, a French neurologist. In his 1893 obituary of Charcot, Sigmund Freud attributed the rehabilitation of hysteria as a topic for scientific study to the positive attention generated by Charcot’s neuropathological investigations of hysteria during the last ten years of his life.[3] Freud questioned Charcot’s claim that heredity is the unique cause of hysteria, but he lauded his innovative clinical use of hypnosis to demonstrate how hysterical paralysis could result from psychological factors produced by non-organic traumas (psychological factors that Charcot believed could be simulated through hypnosis).[3] To Freud, this discovery allowed subsequent investigators such as Pierre Janet and Josef Breuer to develop new theories of hysteria that were essentially similar to the medieval conception of a split consciousness, but with the non-scientific terminology of demonic possession replaced with modern psychological concepts.[3]

In the early 1890s Freud published a series of articles on hysteria which popularized Charcot's earlier work and began the development of his own views of hysteria. By the 1920s Freud's theory was influential in Britain and the USA. The Freudian psychoanalytic school of psychology uses its own, somewhat controversial, ways to treat hysteria. Freudian psychoanalytic theory attributed hysterical symptoms to the unconscious mind's attempt to protect the patient from psychic stress. Unconscious motives include primary gain, in which the symptom directly relieves the stress (as when a patient coughs to release energy pent up from keeping a secret), and secondary gain, in which the symptom provides an independent advantage, such as staying home from a hated job. More recent critics have noted the possibility of tertiary gain, when a patient is induced unconsciously to display a symptom because of the desires of others (as when a controlling husband enjoys the docility of his sick wife). There need be no gain at all, however, in a hysterical symptom. A child playing hockey may fall and for several hours believe they are unable to move, because they have recently heard of a famous hockey player who fell and broke their neck.

Many now consider hysteria to be a legacy diagnosis (i.e., a catch-all junk diagnosis),[4] particularly due to its long list of possible manifestations: one Victorian physician cataloged 75 pages of possible symptoms of hysteria and called the list incomplete.[5]
Current theories and practices
Current psychiatric terminology distinguishes two types of disorder that were previously labelled 'hysteria': somatoform and dissociative. The dissociative disorders in DSM-IV-TR include dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, dissociative identity disorder, depersonalization disorder, and dissociative disorder not otherwise specified. Somatoform disorders include conversion disorder, somatization disorder, pain disorder, hypochondriasis, and body dysmorphic disorder. In somatoform disorders, the patient exhibits physical symptoms such as low back pain or limb paralysis, without apparent physical cause. Additionally, certain culture-bound syndromes such as "ataques de nervios" ("attacks of nerves") identified in Hispanic populations, and popularized by the Almodóvar film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, exemplify psychiatric phenomena that encompass both somatoform and dissociative symptoms and that have been linked to psychological trauma.[6] Recent neuroscientific research, however, is starting to show that there are characteristic patterns of brain activity associated with these states.[7] All these disorders are thought to be unconscious, not feigned or intentional malingering.

Jungian psychologist Laurie Layton Schapira explored what she labels a "Cassandra Complex" suffered by those traditionally diagnosed with hysteria, denoting a tendency for those with hysteria to be disbelieved or dismissed when relating the facts of their experiences to others.[8] Based on clinical experience, she delineates three factors which constitute the Cassandra complex in hysterics: (a) dysfunctional relationships with social manifestations of rationality, order, and reason, leading to; (b) emotional or physical suffering, particularly in the form of somatic, often gynaecological complaints, and (c) being disbelieved or dismissed when attempting to relate the facticity of these experiences to others.


SYMPTOMS OF HYSTERIA
Heaviness in the Limbs, Cramps
The symptoms of hysteria include heaviness in the limbs, severe cramps, a strong feeling of ascending abdominal constriction, continual sighing, difficulty in breathing, constriction in the chest, palpitations, feeling of a foreign body lodged in the throat, swelling of the neck and of the jugular veins, suffocation, headache, clenched teeth, and generalized and voluntary tensing of muscles of locomotion. There are, however, various other symptoms of hysteria, such as an inexplicable urge to perform rigorous activities that will help to let off steam. However, when one tries to perform these activities, such as shouting, one experiences an inability to do so, because of a shut down of the muscular-skeletal system caused by the hysteria.
Wild Painful Cries, Loss of Consciousness
In severe cases, additional symptoms are noticeable; these may include wild and painful cries, incomplete loss of consciousness, an enormously swollen neck, violent and tumultuous heartbeats, involuntary locomotor muscle contraction, frightening generalized convulsions, and violent movement. A prominence of the veins in the neck area is a frequent occurrence when one experiences hysteria. Although you may want to cry out in despair, it is often felt that you are unable to do so, causing you further anxiety and fear that do not help in any way.
Weakness, Emotional Instability
The physical symptoms include a weakness of the will, a craving for love and sympathy, and a tendency towards emotional instability. Hysterical trances may last for days or weeks. A patient in a trance may appear to be in a deep sleep, but the muscles are not usually relaxed. Emotional instability and a weakness of the will can become extremely dangerous for persons suffering from hysteria disease, because it causes them to have rash and imbalanced thoughts that are depressive. These thoughts of depression cause them to take drastic steps that cannot be corrected.


Hysteria Symptoms, Causes, Remedy and Diet
Stress
The most common causes of hysteria are sexual repression, perverted habits of thought, and idleness. Heredity plays an important part in its causation. A nervous family background and faulty emotional training when young are predisposing causes. The emotional situations may be mental, strain, stress, fear, worry, depression, traumatism, masturbation, and prolonged sickness. Working on ways and methods of relieving stress from the body is an important part of life today. The pressures of work are usually carried home, where life is made miserable for everyone in the household. Being able to deal with your stress is extremely beneficial in dealing with hysteria and other anxiety caused conditions. Anxiety being the primary among all the causes of hysteria, it is advisable that people who are probably suffering from the condition be advised to avoid highly stressful situations. Hysteria diagnosis cannot be made by just looking at a person who is having a hysterical moment, but would require definite medical testing to be carried out before a diagnosis is pronounced.

Hysteria home remedies and natural cures, Questions and answers
Hysteria Treatment using Jambul
The black berry fruit is considered an effective home remedy for hysteria. Three kilograms of this fruit and a handful of salt should be put in a jug filled with water.The jug should be kept in the sun for a week. A women suffering from hysteria should take 300 gm of these fruits on an empty stomach, and drink a cup of water from the jug. The day she starts this treatment, 3 Kg more of these fruits, mixed with a handful of salt, should be kept in another jug filled with water, so that when the contents of the first jug are finished, the contents of the other will be ready for use. This treatment should be continued for two weeks. There are various other well recommended remedies that have been advised for the treatment for hysteria.
Hysteria Treatment using Honey
Honey is regarded as another effective remedy for hysteria. It is advisable to take one tablespoon of honey daily. Honey breaks down the triglycerides that cause blockages in the valves of the heart, thereby avoiding minimizing or helping prevent the occurrence of high blood pressure. Because the flow of blood through the heart is unrestricted, blood pressure remains normal and hysteria can be avoided, in circumstances where difficult situations arise.
Hysteria Treatment using Bottle Gourd
Bottle gourd is useful as an external application in hysteria. Macerated fresh pulp of this vegetable should be applied over the head of the patient in the treatment of this disease. Bottle gourd has a reputation for being extremely soothing and cooling, as and is therefore used as an external application in the treatment of hysteria. Applying a macerated pulp of bottle gourd on the head will help in soothing and keeping the person calm.
Hysteria Treatment using Lettuce
Lettuce is considered valuable in this disease. A cup of fresh juice of lettuce, mixed with a teaspoon of Indian gooseberry (indian gooseberry) juice, should be given every day in the morning for a month, as a medicine in the treatment of hysteria. While the consumption of lettuce and fresh vegetables may have no direct bearing on the condition itself, consuming lettuce and fresh vegetables can help cleanse the body of any toxins that could be causing health problems further magnifying problems related to hysteria.
Hysteria Treatment using Rauwolfia
The herb rauwolfia is very useful for hysteria. One gram of the powdered root should be administered with one cup of milk in the morning as well as in the evening. Treatment should be continued till a complete cure has been obtained. Herbal treatment of hysteria is another effective method of dealing with anxiety problems. Apart from the fact that they contain no chemical content, they have negligible side effects, as compared to drugs that are manufactured for the treatment of hysteria.
Hysteria Treatment using Asafoetida
Asafoetida has also proved beneficial in the treatment of this disease. Smelling this gum prevents hysterical attacks. If taken orally, the daily dosage should be from 0.5 to 1.0 gm. An emulsion made up of 2 gm of the gum with 120 ml of water is a valuable enema in hysteria, when the patient resists taking the gum orally. Asafoetida is also known to have very relaxing properties, and is therefore recommended for use in treatment of hysteria. To carry out female hysteria treatment, one needs to assess the cause of the hysteria. Once treatment commences the individual’s medical condition needs to be monitored carefully before any long term plan is formulated. When women are expecting children, the hormonal imbalance in the body can cause a lot of instability in the emotional composition, causing them to have frequent attacks of hysteria and depression, which is not good for the unborn child.

Hysteria : Home Remedies suggested by users
All-Fruit Diet
In most cases of hysteria, it is desirable for patients to start the treatment by adopting an all-fruit diet for several days, taking three meals a day of juicy fruits such as oranges, apples, grapes, grapefruit, papayas, and pineapples. Fruit and vegetable juices help to detoxify and relax the body completely, thereby relieving you of any mental stress that you may be experiencing.
Exclusive Milk Diet

This may be followed by an exclusive milk diet for about a month. The milk diet will help to build better blood and nourish the nerves. If the full milk diet is not convenient, a diet of milk and fruits may be adopted. The patient may, thereafter, gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables, and fruits. A dry fruit and milk diet is one that provides an ample amount of nutrition and sustenance, allowing a further boost of the immune system and helping in staying healthy. A healthy body allows for peace of mind and will thus avoid any implication of hysteria.


Avoid Tea, Coffee, Alcohol etc.

The patient should avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, tobacco, white sugar and white flour, and products made from them. Tea, coffee and a number of aerated soft drinks contain caffeine that causes a significant increase in the energy levels. Because of the fact that a person suffering from hysteria could possibly cause himself further complications through the consumption of caffeine based products, it is advisable that they be avoided.

Self Control and Occupying the Mind

The patient should be taught self-control and educated in the right habits of thinking. Her mind must be drawn away from herself by some means. Proper sex education should be provided and a married patient should be taught to enjoy a normal sexual relationship. Sexual relaxation is also a widely used and well recommended method of relieving stress. Female hysteria treatment through stimulating massages is no longer a commonplace practice, though a large number of women stimulate themselves to orgasm in order to relieve any sexual stress that may be a possible cause for hysteria. Water pressure being directed at the genitals was another method used in ancient times, to relieve women of stress and thereby avoid a disorder of hysteria. Subsequently, vibrators and other mechanical devices were used to stimulate women and cure them of hysteria.
Exercise and Outdoor Games

Exercise and outdoor games are also important. They take the mind away from self and induce cheerfulness. Exercise and outdoor games on a frequent basis are well advised for hysteria cure. The body remains fit and blood pressure levels are controlled by the exercise that has been undertaken, thereby ensuring that no panic attacks are suffered.
Yogasanas
Yogasanas which are useful in hysteria are bhujangasana, shalabhasana, matsyasana, dhanurasana, halasana, paschimottanasana, yogamudra, and shavasana. Weak patients, who are not able to do much active exercise, may be given a massage three or four times a week. Yoga is a widely used practice for emotional and physical relaxation. Because the mind and body work together, there is an overall feeling of well being that is obtained through the art of yoga. Different levels of the art require performing different and more complex exercises that give importance to every part of the body, making one feel relaxed and stress free. Treatment of the hysteria disorder does not necessarily include mounting expenses on medical treatments and medications that could possibly worsen the condition. Healthy living, combined with consumption of the correct foods, a good amount of exercise and stress relieving activities will play an important role in treating hysteria. Expressing yourself to a partner or a friend is another extremely important activity when it comes to treating hysteria and dealing with stressful situations.

1 Comments:

Blogger bichonsareBest said...

this started out informative, then and went down from there

11:11 AM  

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