Women's hysteria. The hysteria of a woman

Hysteria is a common psychological disorder. According to statistics, this ailment is more common in the fairer sex due to physiological, mental and social characteristics. Women's hysteria is the result of various reasons. The most common are stressful situations, excessive emotional and psychological stress, drug abuse.

General characteristics of hysteria

Hysteria is a specific disorder of well-being and behavior. In the modern world, the term "hysterical personality disorder" is associated with this concept. It is understood as a mental disorder, which implies the following symptoms:

  • an inexhaustible need for attention;
  • reassessment of the importance of gender;
  • instability of self-esteem;
  • superficial judgments;
  • suggestibility and self-hypnosis;
  • frequent mood swings;
  • fantasizing;
  • theatricality of behavior.

Hysteria in history

For a long time, hysteria meant mental and behavioral disorders that were caused by the physiological characteristics of the female body. The cause of this ailment was considered to be the wandering of the uterus through the body. This process seriously affected the well-being and behavior of women.

Hence the designation of the phenomenon itself. Hysteria is translated from the ancient Greek language as "womb". Another name for the disease is uterine rabies.

For the first time, hysteria was described by the ancient Greek healer Hippocrates. Plato also discusses her in his writings. In Russia during the XVII-XIX centuries. women with symptoms of hysteria were called "hysterics." At first, this disease was related to damage. The names that women shouted out during a seizure were considered sources of corruption and were prosecuted for witchcraft, tortured and punished. The "klikush" themselves were chastised according to Orthodox rules - they cast out the demons sent by the sorcerer. Since the beginning of the 18th century, the whoopers themselves have been brought to justice. They were considered carriers of feigned demonic possession, which was aimed at slandering other people.

The diagnosis of hysteria gained popularity at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This phenomenon was actively studied by the leading psychologists of that time.

The attitude to this disease of women, as to an ailment of the uterus, is outdated today. It is customary to understand hysteria as a number of mental disorders of mild to moderate severity.

Classification

Hysteria is registered in the international classification of diseases (ninth edition). In the typology adapted for the USSR, the following diagnoses were used:

  1. Hysterical neurosis.
  2. Hysterical Ganser Syndrome.
  3. Hysterical psychopathy.

In the tenth (modern) edition of the International Classification of Diseases, the term hysteria is not used. In modern medicine it is not recommended to use this concept, since it is too “generalized” in nature. Preference is given to the use of specific diseases (conversion hysteria, Ganser syndrome, astasia-abasia).

The lack of a unified, well-established attitude to the use of the term hysteria, its characteristics, causes serious difficulties in studying this issue. The use of a variety of terminology and concepts introduces confusion and confusion.

Causes

Factors provoking the development of hysteria:

  • psychological trauma;
  • accumulation in the subconscious of suppressed desires in large quantities;
  • the presence of unconscious, internal conflicts;
  • problematic family education;
  • incorrect formation of attitudes towards sexes, differences between men and women.

Mechanisms that generate hysteria:

  1. "Repression" is a psychological defense mechanism aimed at removing something (events, emotions, memories) from consciousness. It manifests itself in forgetting or ignoring.
  2. "Sexualization" is a defense mechanism, during which negative events are given sexual overtones, which allows them to translate their perception in a positive direction.
  3. Regression is a defense mechanism during conflict and anxious situations, expressed in the simplification (primitivization) of emotional and behavioral perception.
  4. “Replaying” is a mechanism of psychological defense, expressed in overcoming any negative, unfavorable scenario by changing roles, from passive to active and aggressive.

Symptoms

The disorder has many different manifestations. The most common symptoms of hysteria in women are:

  1. Exaggerated expression of emotions, theatricality.
  2. The superficiality of emotions, their frequent change.
  3. A high degree of suggestibility, a strong susceptibility to influence from the outside (circumstances, people around).
  4. Striving for excitement.
  5. The need is at the center of attention, the desire for recognition from others. All actions are aimed at achieving these goals. Discomfort, in cases of lack of recognition, being out of the spotlight.
  6. Defiant appearance and behavior, which are aimed at seduction, fixation on their attractiveness (as a means of attracting attention), provocativeness.
  7. Blurred speech, lack of attention to detail during a conversation.
  8. Exaggeration of the meaning of current events, experiences.

Hysteria forms during puberty. This disorder is more common in girls, although boys are also prone to this disorder. The child's opinion is strengthened that his gender is a defect that can be dangerous and harmful for members of the opposite sex.

During puberty, the sexuality of the child is rejected: the parent of the opposite sex is withdrawn, and the parent of the same gender takes a competing position. This situation leads to the development of hysterical disorder.

The behavioral demand of others to remain a child, ignoring the manifested sexuality, leads to "regression." The girl is forced to behave in contradiction with her inner state. Repression allows sexuality to be contained and hidden. The threat of negative perception of sexuality by parents is leveled by "sexualization."

Situations that hysteria leads to in practice:

  • inadequate choice of a life partner;
  • a large number of life mistakes due to the attitude to life from the standpoint of quick coverage of what is happening with "general strokes" ignoring details.

Prevention and treatment

Drug treatment is ineffective. Psychotherapy is actively used to treat hysteria. The complexity of treatment by methods of psychological therapy lies in the fact that the patient unconsciously "transfers" his illness to the treating therapist. Thus, seduction, the main method of the hysterical personality, will be used against the specialist. The therapist should always keep this in mind.

Another important aspect of therapy is the "carry-over" effect. A hysterical person will unconsciously transfer previously experienced feelings and emotions from one person to another. Such an object will be the attending therapist. To a doctor of the opposite sex, the patient will experience feelings of excitement, fear, fear, protection or seduction.

It all depends on the specific features of the case. The attitude towards the therapist of the same sex will be expressed in hostility and competition. This "transference" vividly repeats the conflict in childhood, formed during the relationship with parents during the transition period.

Hysteria in women

Various forms of hysterical disorders are found in women and girls, who are characterized by a tendency to frequent mood swings. Based on the physiological, mental, behavioral and social characteristics, this ailment in women is manifested more clearly and has a greater variety of forms.

The reasons for this situation lie in the characteristics of the female body. From a psychological point of view, girls are much more difficult to go through puberty, since changes in the body strongly affect all aspects of life. First of all, this applies to relationships with parents and representatives of the opposite sex.

Hormonal changes, the menstrual cycle also leave their mark. These physiological processes affect all body systems. Additional psychological stress due to hormonal surges in combination with other factors make a woman vulnerable to the development of hysterical ailments.

Undoubtedly, the influence of the sexual component on the frequency of hysterical disorders in the female sex. Dissatisfaction in this area has a serious impact on the psychological state of a person, which can provoke the development of hysteria.

Features of symptoms

Factors that increase the predisposition to the development of hysterical neurosis in female representatives:

  • frequent and severe stressful situations;
  • psychological, emotional physical stress;
  • problems in the sexual sphere - dissatisfaction, prolonged lack of intimacy;
  • alcohol and drug abuse;
  • serious injuries;
  • dissatisfaction with professional implementation;
  • fluctuations in hormonal levels;
  • family problems.

Hysteria in women manifests itself in two forms:

  1. A hysterical seizure is a concentrated manifestation of the disorder in the form of an attack. Women's hysteria is expressed in emotional and behavioral outburst. Signs of hysteria: screaming, crying, active gesticulation, aggressive behavior. A woman cannot fully control her behavior; after an attack, she cannot remember all the details of what is happening during hysterics.
  2. Hysterical behavior is a persistent behavioral manifestation of the disorder. This condition is characterized by general signs of hysteria. Living with such a woman is difficult.

It is important to distinguish between these forms of psychological states. Women's hysteria can be the result of a one-time nervous breakdown. Your wife is hysterical due to her inability to control hormonal changes. It spills over into the emotional and behavioral planes. The tantrum will stop as soon as the hormonal level returns to normal. You can calm a woman and stop a tantrum with the help of sedatives and cold water.

Hysterical behavior is a disorder that has a serious impact on a woman's overall mental state in the long term. A hysterical woman in this case needs help. This situation requires the intervention of a psychotherapist. Only targeted treatment with the use of therapeutic techniques can relieve a person from ailment.

It is important to calmly understand the mechanisms of female tantrums.
The first thing that you must understand: you do not become hysterics, they are born. This is this type of nervous system. Not looseness, not ambition, not calculation, but weak nerves with which she was born. Some were born in a nice, solid, brick house, and some in a hut made of palm leaves in the wind. The hysterical's nerves are a squishy little house, which she constantly has to put up "props" so as not to collapse.
If you managed to fall in love with such a woman, find your advantages in this. Real, non-translucent hysterics are emotional persons, broad-minded, fantasy. They are not selfish, sincere, loyal. You just need to be able to handle them.
The main mistake in communicating with a hysterical woman is to leave when the mechanism of the hysteria is already running. I believe that you are in the best of intentions, thinking that this is how you give her the opportunity to come to her senses. I'll tell you what is really going on.
While you are away, she does not calm down, but winds herself up. Is always. In all cases. There are no exceptions. The chance that you will "sit out" a tantrum is zero.

Two main points you should know about tantrums:
1) they are built solely on emotions,
2) the woman herself is not able to cope with these emotions.

He wants to, but cannot. Does not work. It happens.

The longer a woman stays with her emotions tete-a-tete, the more difficult it is for her to get out of them, even with your help.

A woman herself cannot stop a real hysteria, even when she realizes that this is only to her detriment, that now everything is under attack - your plans, relationships, love.

A woman who is hysterical is drowning in a whirlpool of her own emotions. To demand of her that she pull herself together, or to throw one, is the same as turning around and walking away from a person who is carried away by a mountain stream without stretching out his hand.

Now - about how to extend this hand. Men, in most cases, do not understand, do not know, do not know how. It is easier for them to pull a drowning man out of the funnel by the scruff of his teeth than a woman out of hysteria. But it only seems that female hysteria is an incomprehensible, uncontrollable process. Uncontrollable he is for her. You, understanding how it works, can easily manage it.

At the heart of female hysteria is always fear. Even if from the outside it does not look like a woman is afraid, she is afraid. To extinguish a tantrum is to dispel the cause of the fear. First you need to find out this reason. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, ask the question "head on": "What are you afraid of?" A woman will either say right away or think about it and say later. Often she herself does not realize that behind her hysterics there is a banal fear. A woman can, on an even, as it seems to you, place get to your sweater, but in fact she is frightened by the fact that, in your “deep thirties”, your mother buys clothes, from whose sissy you cannot tear yourself away.

Don't make excuses, don't run over, don't drain. Ask kindly and calmly: "What scares you?" and let me speak. The sooner you ask, the sooner the hysteria will end.
Without leaving a woman alone with your fears, you will keep your peace, and, possibly, your relationship. She will appreciate it, believe me, and when she comes to, she will pay back a hundredfold.
miss_tramell

Female hysteria is a mental disorder that manifests itself in the form of movement and sensory disorders. Hysteria is caused by self-hypnosis and the desire to attract everyone's attention. The disease refers to an outdated general medical diagnosis that develops from mental disorders, usually of mild to moderate severity. The disease affects women with neurotic character traits, but there are exceptions.

The main causes of female hysteria are internal conflicts and external irritating factors associated with an overload of a neuropsychic nature, for example, with frequent conflicts. In hysteria, the moment of inner experience that occurs in the patient is of great importance. The risk category includes those who have frequent physical and mental stress, dissatisfaction with themselves, negative situations in the family, frequent use of sedatives without a doctor's prescription, alcohol.

Signs and symptoms

For a long time, emotional reactions, such as tears, nervous laughter, and screams, have been attributed to the general symptoms of the disease. In a more severe form - deafness, cramps of the limbs and muscles of the face, partial loss of sensitivity, excessive sexual activity, clouding of consciousness. A woman prone to hysteria can be easily recognized by her pretentious dressing, as well as by stories filled with excessive theatricality. General symptoms noticeably distinguish a hysterical woman from the general mass, among them the following are described: erratic movements, twitching of the head, unreasonable excitement, hiccups, stuttering, etc.

The diagnosis of hysteria, previously used in medicine, is currently not used due to the breakdown into clearer formulations of diagnoses, such as anxiety hysteria, somatic and dissociative disorders. A hysterical personality is betrayed by the desire to always be in the center of attention, craving for provocative situations, the use of one's natural data to attract attention, increased suggestibility, exaggeration of emotions and reactions to these emotions.

In some cases, hysterical seizures last quite a long time, so they need to be recognized in time and properly treated. To begin with, one should distinguish an attack of hysteria from an epileptic seizure, since visually they have much in common in the behavior of patients, but the assistance provided is significantly different.

Diagnosis of female hysteria occurs in the psychotherapist's office by talking with the patient and identifying three or more signs, such as:

  1. Suggestibility.
  2. Self-centeredness, obsessive desire to be recognized.
  3. Superficial emotionality.
  4. The desire to manipulate.
  5. Touchiness.

Psychotherapists attribute female hysteria to a form of neurosis associated with the inability to consciously control their behavior. Such disorders of the nervous system sometimes continue throughout life, which indicates the presence of hysterical psychopathy. The same symptoms are observed as a result of concussion, as well as in the presence of some other diseases. The duration of the attack directly depends on the attention given to the patient. The more attention is given, the longer the attack lasts. To remove the patient from a hysterical state, it is enough to douse him with cold water or cause a little physical pain.

When it comes to hysteria, people often point out that it is characteristic of women. However, this opinion is erroneous. Women are simply more likely than men to show hysterical qualities for which there are reasons. How can a man deal with female hysteria? How does it manifest itself?

Hysteria is attributed to women only because they allow themselves to manifest it often and in public. However, there are also men who do not hide their hysterical qualities.

Hysteria was previously attributed exclusively to women, since in the old days all sciences and research were exclusively men. And it is common for every person to look for the causes of problems in others, but not in themselves! Men had more freedom in their manifestations, attributing hysteria exclusively to the female sex, which was under pressure and in bondage to the male.

Only over time it was determined that hysteria is inherent in both sexes. However, in this article, we will talk about female hysteria as a more frequent occurrence than male one. Let's try to analyze this phenomenon so that the male sex has leverage over women when they go into hysterics.

What is female tantrum?

When talking about hysteria, people point to the negative aspects of this phenomenon. It seems that a person shows bad qualities of his character when he begins to hysteria. However, hysteria has many reasons for its manifestation. What is female tantrum? This is inappropriate, uncontrollable, explosive behavior, accompanied by screaming, crying, crying, and imbalance.

Psychologists point out that female tantrums are not controlled at their climax. However, even at the stage of its development and formation, you can at any time reassure a woman, returning her to benevolent feelings.

Women’s hysteria should not be judged extremely badly. As with any phenomenon, female hysteria has its own reasons for manifestation. Some thus throw out, powerlessness and experiences, becoming sincere. Others try to state something, because in other cases they go unheard. Still others strive to achieve their goal through screaming and crying.

Depending on the reasons for the manifestation of female hysteria, one can speak of this phenomenon as something good or bad. However, people unequivocally judge the manifestations of the female side. If she is hysterical, it means “fool”, “hysterical”, “insane”. If she is hysterical, it means she is nagging, she has lost her mind. Men speak especially insultingly about female hysteria. Psychologists characterize this as a male inability to cope with the problem. And in order to subconsciously justify themselves, they make women guilty.

It is better to offend another person by making him sick than to admit your own lack of understanding of the situation and correct it. This trend dates back to ancient times, when they just began to consider hysteria as a phenomenon. In those days, women were treated with disdain. Today this trend continues and is expressed in the fact that men simply do not want to understand the nature of female behavior.

What is female tantrum? In the everyday sense of this word, this is an emotional outburst, which is aimed at clarifying the relationship through showdowns, shouting or throwing objects. If we talk about the clinical manifestation of hysteria, then we are talking about people of the hysterical type (it can be both women and men). Since childhood, these persons are emotional, impulsive and have a developed imagination.

Causes of female tantrum

To understand how to cope with female tantrums, you should consider the reasons for its occurrence. There are many reasons why not every hysteria can be called negative behavior. In some cases, it is only through hysteria that a woman can prove herself as a sincere person.

It is customary to treat female hysterics as a way to attract attention. In fact, theatrical hysteria is full of falseness and insincerity. Often this form of hysteria is used in labor activity or in show business. In the circle of close people, where female hysteria often manifests itself, this behavior is of a different nature.

The physiological reasons for hysteria include a special type of nervous system that makes a person a representative of the hysterical type. This diagnosis can be made by a specialist who should be contacted if a woman regularly and without good reason starts tantrums, while she is unable to stop and cannot be reassured.

If a specialist identifies the physiological causes of hysteria, then a special course of treatment will be prescribed. This will allow loved ones to save their strength and nerves in a situation that they simply cannot cope with.

The second reason for female hysteria is called hormonal changes that occur in the following situations:

  • Climax.
  • Menstruation.
  • Malaise.
  • Pregnancy.

In such situations, women begin to show the following qualities:

  1. Touchiness.
  2. Vulnerability.
  3. Depressiveness.
  4. Anxiety.
  5. Frequent mood swings.

The third reason for female hysteria can be called constant stress and emotional stress. A woman suffers for a long time and suppresses emotions in herself. In this case, the hysteria that she rolls when she can no longer keep everything to herself can be called the last stage of despair, a cry from the heart. A woman in such a situation seeks comfort, because she is not able to cope with the emotional problem in other ways.

Quite often, hysteria is a consequence of fatigue. Strong and strong-willed women take on many problems and concerns. And when they don't see a positive result from their efforts, they explode. They tried so hard, and their efforts were in vain. This provokes female tantrums.

It is necessary to indicate the female tantrum, which is used as a manipulation. Usually the woman remains calm, but screams loudly in order to induce guilt in the person to whom the actions are directed. Such tantrums can be seen in young children who begin to fight in it when their parents refuse to buy them toys or sweets. This reason for hysteria is manipulative. If the “victim” (man, parents) succumbs to her, then the woman (or child) will continue to resort to hysteria when she wants to achieve what she wants.

In some cases, hysteria is a way of emotional release. This happens in people who are used to holding back their emotions. Having no way out, emotions accumulate, and then pour out on others in the form of screams and tears.

It should not be ruled out that the reason for the occurrence of hysteria, as a habit. A person from childhood is accustomed to hysteria. If at the same time he always gets his own, then this model is fixed and becomes a strategy of behavior in a situation when the desired is not achieved.

Hysteria is inherent in people who are active and purposeful, but who are squeezed within the framework of everyday life and monotony. When a person cannot show his full potential, he begins to get bored, indignant, indignant. Soon it turns into a hysteria aimed at the one who became the culprit of the person's lack of fulfillment.

Not the last reason for a woman's hysteria (as well as a man's) can be the fear that has accumulated in a person. If a person experiences a lot and experiences pain, then soon it manifests itself in the form of hysteria, during which he does not control himself.

How to deal with female hysteria?

Women's tantrums are often directed at men. When interacting with other women, hysterical behavior becomes rare. At work, unpleasant consequences can also arise if a woman allows herself to be hysterical. Only in the circle of close people can a lady relax and show her food. Often, hysterics is directed at men, who may have a natural question: how to deal with female hysteria?

It seems to men that female hysteria arises from scratch. In fact, this is not the case. By ignoring the woman's behavior, the man further aggravates the situation. The beloved can calm down, but she will remember for a long time how the partner ignored her “cry from the heart” when she needed his support and attention.

Any word or situation can cause a tantrum. This is due to the internal reasons of the woman herself. In a moment of hysteria, she ceases to control herself:

  1. Her face turns red.
  2. Crying begins, sharp gestures.
  3. She starts screaming.

Demanding reasonable arguments and actions from a woman at the moment is a pointless exercise. She needs understanding and help, which must come from the person at whom the hysteria is directed.

In a state of hysteria, a woman conveys a state of pain. If a man demands logical explanations, then most likely he will not receive them. She does not think with her head, but “screams with her soul,” expressing her emotions. A man can calm a woman only by showing emotions: sympathy, love, understanding. If in such a situation a man leaves, ignores, pretends that nothing is happening, then he will further aggravate the situation. A woman will deeply take offense at a man, which will not contribute to their reconciliation.

What if your loved one is hysterical? You should be attentive to her words. Usually, a woman will directly state what worries her. Based on the reasons for her hysteria, you should calmly take actions that will help calm her down:

  • If a woman is crying, you should hug and stroke her.
  • If a woman is scared, you should let her know that you will help and decide everything.
  • If a woman demands something, then a clear answer should be given: will you fulfill what she wants from you, or not? Often, the manipulative hysteria does not stop, so in this case it is permissible to leave, ignore.

A woman sometimes wants to be heard. This often happens when a man thinks women are stupid, their opinions are unfounded, their actions are reckless, etc. Neglecting a woman's desires, a man himself provokes hysteria in her as the only way to loudly declare his desires and, possibly, to be heard. If a man is not able to hear his woman on ordinary days, then let him prepare for tantrums.

Physiological causes of female hysteria should not be ruled out:

  • If a woman is sick, then she should be taken to a specialist who will treat her.
  • If a woman is not satisfied with sex life, then she should be satisfied.
  • If a woman sleeps little, eats, rests, then she should be provided with all this. Having slept well and rested, she will relieve loved ones from their tantrums.
  • If a woman has hormonal disruptions, then you should contact a gynecologist for help.

In no case should you respond to a tantrum with aggression. This will only further inflame the conflict that has already arisen between a man and a woman.

Outcome

Is the responsibility of both women and men. Hysteria is a consequence, not a cause for the development of conflicts. If both partners understand that their hysterical clashes are destructive for the relationship, then this will help not to get divorced, not quarrel and not spoil their feelings for each other. The outcome depends on both.

It should not be ruled out that hysteria is the only manifestation of a woman that society still permits. Men would also be hysterical if they were not taught to restrain emotions and in more aggressive ways (fights, sports, etc.) to express their negative feelings. Hysterics is, after all, feminine behavior rather than masculine.

You should not treat hysterical behavior as an exclusively bad manifestation. A woman always has reasons why she is hysterical. The exception is people who are simply mentally ill. But psychiatrists, not men, should already be fighting their hysteria.

Hysteria is one of the forms of neurosis, characteristic of women and has mental and various somato-vegetative manifestations. This disease has a synonym - hysterical neurosis, to which the "artistic type" of personality is predisposed. The "feminine nature" of hysteria, according to scientists, is associated with the level of estrogen in the blood. This fact was noticed in ancient Greece. Hence the name of this disease "hystera" - translated from Greek means "uterus". Female hysteria is a very common condition.

Predisposing factors:

  • Stress, physical and emotional stress;
  • Sexual dissatisfaction;
  • Chronic intoxication (alcoholic, narcotic);
  • Trauma;
  • Problems at work;
  • Fluctuations in the hormonal background (pregnancy, phases of the menstrual cycle, puberty, menopause);
  • Family problems.

Manifestations

Female hysteria can manifest itself in two forms - hysterical fit and hysterical behavior.

Hysteria

Among the peculiar manifestations of female hysteria, one of its varieties can be noted, which has long been known in Russia as hysteria. It was expressed in the fact that the klikushi had an uncontrollable desire to cry out in the church at certain moments of the church service, and sometimes fall into a real hysteria. Habitat is in very close connection with the belief in corruption, obsession with various demons, which was widespread among the people at that time. Indeed, many hysterics-hysterics had a subconscious idea or even a conscious thought that they were "spoiled", that they were possessed by an unclean spirit against their own will and desire. This belief may not be recognized by the clickers and is stored in the unconscious area.

It is very likely that many cases of healing of patients under the influence of conspiracies and other things, and should be explained by the fact that these diseases were actually symptoms of hysterical neurosis. Analyzing the symptoms of other hysteria, one cannot fail to notice that they always do not correspond to the picture of the actual defeat of one or another organ or organ system. In particular, with hysterical paralysis, paralysis of individual muscles is never noted, as is the case with neurological diseases, when one or another nerve center is affected or nerve conduction is disturbed. This circumstance allows us to say sometimes that hysterical neurosis is a rather mediocre plagiarist. The detected signs correspond to the patient's idea of ​​the disease and the views prevailing among the population, that is, common opinions about mental and somatic diseases.

Sometimes, however, it is difficult to identify such a discrepancy. In the history of psychiatry, there are cases of false hysterical pregnancy, when the patient not only sharply increased the volume of the abdomen and mammary glands, but also developed such characteristic signs of incipient labor that her relatives in a hurry brought her to the maternity hospital, where only her true nature was revealed. suffering. It is interesting that, as a rule, the exposure is accepted by the patient with hostility, causing a violent reaction of protest, indicating her unwillingness to recognize reality.

Simulation of CNS disorders

Often, hysterical symptoms mimic various types of lesions of the central nervous system, vascular spasms, infectious diseases, as well as angina pectoris, bronchial asthma, and myocardial infarction. Most often, the symptoms of female hysteria are various kinds of painful sensations in the abdomen, heart, chest, spine, which are not weakened by pain medications. Less often, various difficulty in breathing, a decrease or complete loss of sensitivity are noted. For example, legs, arms, or just parts of a limb.

Movement disorders in female hysteria can manifest themselves in paralysis, inability to stand or walk, or, on the contrary, twitching of the upper or lower extremities, frequent winking of the eyelids, stereotypical and unusual contractions of the muscles of the neck, face, and extremities. Contractions of the muscles of the larynx during hysteria can lead to loss of the woman's voice (the patient speaks only in a whisper), or complete loss of speech. The patient with hysteria, however, even in this case does not lose contact with others, for example, by means of writing.

There are also cases of hysterical deafness and blindness (in one or both eyes). Surprising. that the patient with hysteria, having lost the power of speech, does not at all strive by an effort of will to overcome the violation that has arisen. The composure with which the patient sometimes refers to her illness is also striking. She, apparently, is not at all burdened by unexpected paralysis, does not show the appropriate anxiety in this case. Just as often, these patients with female hysteria display a peculiar ambivalence towards the symptoms and signs of the disease. On the one hand, they turn to a doctor with a request for help, and on the other hand, they do not strive for recovery and even protest violently when they learn about the absence of a serious illness.

"Conditional pleasantness"

All these observations reveal one characteristic feature of female hysteria, which psychiatrists call "conditional pleasantness" or "desirability of a painful syndrome." A careful questioning of a patient suffering, for example, with a hysterical pseudo-infarction and therefore forced to leave work and not leave the house for months, may lead to the conclusion that she simply does not want to leave her child in the care of her mother-in-law, to whom for some reason she feels a sense of acute hostility. The patient is completely unaware of this. At the same time, it is obvious that the means used by it are clearly disproportionate to the goal achieved in this case. The patient's behavior indicates that she has a special system of values, which she subconsciously guides.Along with the primary benefit from the disease, for some patients it is important that when they get sick, they surround themselves with great care and attention of loved ones.

They tried to explain the amazing ability of the hysterical patient to transform his mental experiences into somatic ones on the basis of assumptions about the hypertrophy of a number of mental functions or their regression at a primitive level. According to some psychiatrists, hysterical symptoms are manifestations of phylogenetically old adaptations that serve the purposes of instinctive self-defense. Sometimes hysterical neurosis can end with depression and suicide attempts.

Therapy

Treatment of hysteria in women is mainly psychotherapeutic. The psychotherapist must find out the reasons that led to the formation of hysterical neurosis in a woman. One of the important points in the treatment of female hysteria is the normalization of her sex life and the harmonization of relations with her husband. Many women with hysteria need to consult a sex therapist.

The main principles of the treatment of female hysteria are aimed at eliminating traumatic situations and strengthening the nervous system - adherence to sleep and rest, balanced nutrition, exclusion of various types of intoxication (in particular, alcoholic), relaxing therapy (physiotherapy), sports.

Some women are shown a consultation with a gynecologist, who can prescribe medications to normalize her natural hormonal levels and reduce vegetative manifestations. Prescribed sedative therapy, mainly herbal preparations (motherwort, valerian), various sedative herbs, as well as Novopasit, Persen, Corvalol, Afobazol, Grandaksin and others.