A real woman can make three things out of nothing: a salad, a hat and a scandal (c) Coco Chanel
Each of us has a unique character, an individual set of personality traits. But in some cases, excessive emotionality, theatricality and drama may be associated not with character, but with hysteria. And this is not an individual trait or peculiarity at all, but a medical diagnosis.
Hysterical people are extremely emotional, they are always “on stage”. The opinion of others means a lot to them; it practically constitutes the meaning of their life.
For example, a woman does not want a man to go fishing or go to meet friends. She dreams of spending the evening together. Because of this, she may pretend to feel bad or simply throw a tantrum. She will talk about how he doesn’t pay attention to her and abandons her all the time. There will be a lot of tears, just like in a real drama. The purpose of this performance is clear - control and manipulation.
But how to distinguish in which cases a person simply clearly shows his emotions, and where hysteria comes into play? Are there clear signs of this problem? In what cases is it necessary to contact a specialist? We will talk about this and other issues in our article.
What is hysteria
First, let’s find out what kind of diagnosis this is? Let's take a look at the “Dictionary of a Practical Psychologist” by S. Yu. Golovin and see the official definition:
“Hysteria is one of the types of neuroses - a pathocharacterological disorder associated with an excessive tendency to suggestion and self-hypnosis, as well as weakness of conscious control over behavior. It is characterized by various disorders of the psyche, motor sphere, and sensitivity. It manifests itself as a peculiar hysterical character, seizures, disturbances of consciousness and functions of internal organs. Disorders of mental activity are expressed in the forms of a wide variety of psychotic phenomena. With hysteria, demonstrative behavior is clearly observed: with low intensity of experiences, their external expression is very exaggerated (screaming, crying, fainting), which is aimed at attracting the attention of other people.” [1]
In modern medicine, the disease is more often defined as hysterical personality disorder (from the ancient Greek ὑστέρα - “uterus”). This is a disorder characterized by an inexhaustible need for attention, unstable self-esteem, overestimation of the importance of gender, feigned behavior, etc. [2] Let us agree that in this article we will also mean this term by the words “hysteria” and “hysteria”.
As you can see, both definitions say that the patient requires a lot of attention. His self-esteem goes up and down. He may praise himself for minor achievements, and the next day cry and say that he is mediocre. A person dramatizes a lot, exaggerates the uniqueness of the events that happen to him. It is a learned behavior that can be addressed with specific treatment. We'll talk about methods a little later.
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According to research, approximately 2-3% of the population is affected by the disease. [3]
General information about the disease
Hysterical psychopathy is classified as a personality disorder. Characteristic manifestations are egocentrism, thirst for attention from others, demonstrative behavior and infantilism. Symptoms of the pathology are detected in 3-6% of the population of Russia and other countries. It occurs equally often in men and women.
People with hysterical personality disorder may not seek medical help. The pathology often does not affect their professional life, and they can achieve success in creative activities. However, in some patients, psychopathy progresses and leads to negative consequences: divorce, loss of property, loss of friends and loved ones.
Is hysteria a female diagnosis?
For a long time it was believed that this was an exclusively female disease. A hysterical woman is found in many books, psychological works, dissertations, and simply in the conversations of ordinary people. Remember, for example, the mother of the girls from Pride and Prejudice. She gets attention all the time, she manipulates people with her attacks, she becomes dramatic about any event, even if it does not directly affect her.
And although this disease is more common among women, men are also susceptible to this disease. [4] However, it is very difficult for representatives of the stronger sex to realize the fact of their hysteria.
But there is no shame in it, whether you are a man or a woman. This is a disease, not a simulation. And a person needs help in overcoming the problem. Of course, only a doctor can make a diagnosis, but let's analyze some signs of the disease that will help you recognize the disease. We will also look at hysteria in women, symptoms and treatment.
Movement disorders
Hysterics may experience the following disorders:
- astasia and abasia (there is no ability to walk or stand independently, but the limbs function when lying down);
- hysterical paresis or complete paralysis of muscle tissue;
- tremor;
- tics;
- torticollis;
- hysterical contractures (impossibility of bending limbs).
Such disorders appear only in a state of wakefulness; during sleep, the symptoms disappear.
Speech problems
The patient may experience mutism (lack of speech), stuttering, or hysterical chanting (pronunciation of individual words, and sometimes phrases and entire sentences in syllables). Often he begins to speak in a whisper or his speech becomes inarticulate. At the same time, the man does not experience any discomfort; he finds other, convenient ways to communicate, for example, using facial expressions or notes.
Affective disorders
In most cases, in parallel with a demonstrative manner of behavior, there is an overly intense emotional experience. Despair, horror or rage can be traced in movements and facial expressions, all this is accompanied by theatrical poses, strong sobs and screams. Often this behavior becomes the cause of another seizure.
With male hysteria, other disorders occur:
- constipation;
- nausea;
- causeless sharp pain;
- dysuric disorders, etc.
The severity of the clinical picture can vary: from barely noticeable symptoms to very intense ones. Signs of neurosis can replace each other depending on the situation in which the patient finds himself. A common feature is a clear concentration on one’s well-being and drawing attention to one’s own person.
Causes of hysteria
This disorder can be caused by external and internal factors. A person’s own emotionality also matters. Other causes include internal conflict, stress, suppression of emotions, dissatisfaction with oneself, somatic diseases, and so on.
The reason may be the need and desire to control the life and actions of another person. Through hysteria, a person tries to manipulate and control.
Hysterical neurosis often haunts people who grew up in dysfunctional families. It can manifest itself in cases where a person is in difficult or unusual circumstances. We must not forget about such individual personality characteristics as the character and mental type of a person.
In fact, for treatment it is not always necessary to know the causes of the disease. Some techniques allow you to successfully cope with symptoms and help change learned behavior. We'll talk about them below.
Why does hysteria happen?
Not every person experiences hysteria. This explosion of emotions is characteristic, as a rule, of creative and excitable people. Hysteria occurs to release tension. Usually it accumulates for quite a long time. A person maintains external calm for a long time and behaves adequately. And then one day a breakdown occurs and hysteria begins.
The cause of hysteria can be a contradiction between the desire for something and the inability to satisfy it. This is especially pronounced in young children. After all, at an early age they still do not know how to control their desires.
Sometimes hysteria can be caused by an unexpected strong experience, which happens in difficult life circumstances. Often from one’s own powerlessness and inability to change anything.
Test for hysteria
To determine whether you should consider having a problem, we suggest taking psychological testing. Check the statements with which you agree:
1) You tend to dramatize, exaggerate emotions, and theatrically talk about the events that happened.
2) You are suggestible, that is, you are easily influenced by other people or circumstances.
3) Your emotions are shallow, they often change very quickly. You can cry, and a minute later you can laugh.
4) You strive for actions and situations that will allow you to attract attention to yourself.
5) You are characterized by excessive seductiveness. This applies to appearance and behavior.
6) You are very concerned about your attractiveness.
If at least 4 out of 6 signs are typical for you or your loved ones, then you should pay special attention to this problem and undergo a more detailed diagnosis.
“Yes, sir, such a neurosis!”
Contrary to the generally accepted opinion that hysterical neurosis is simply a form of female bitchiness, the categorical conclusion of medical science should be cited: hysteria is one of the varieties of neurosis, because it does not have any organic substrate (if this is not the case, it is no longer hysteria).
It has long been noticed: this pathology is burdened with natures that are overly impressionable, refined, “airy”, “fluttering in the clouds” of daydreaming - and absolutely cut off from sinful earthly life with all its dirt and mold.
Raised with copious tears and sighs from novels and movies, these “muslin young ladies” are simply unable to endure the touch of rough, materially dense life, the slightest breath of it simply knocks them off their feet - there is no need to talk about direct coercion and violence at all.
For these are, for the most part, individuals raised under the gaze of a whole series of generations of similarly educated women - mothers and grandmothers - who are ready to run for a thermometer or an enema at the slightest change in the “princess’s” facial features.
Accustomed to their own, “innate” weakness, “sickness” and helplessness, living with an eye on who to lean on (more precisely, who to hang on), people of this type never live their own lives - their heads are full of other people’s, operetta-like ideas about what as it should be ideally.
And these ideas are so strong and resourcefully tenacious that the hysteric becomes a real despot, imposing them on everyone around him - whoever dares to offend a fragile “porcelain doll”, it is better to give in. As a person grows up, she gets used to believing that it simply cannot be any other way.
And this fragile butterfly (and a tenacious leech rolled into one) is brought into life, where you have to somehow act and say something. What to do if your legs can’t hold you up?
Yes, just falling into the arms of the first suitable compassionate representative of the opposite sex - your head is spinning, they say! She was really dizzy, and for good reason.
After all, these naive dreamers never have any idea of their own about specific everyday affairs - the “drive belts” of life; they are worried and frightened even by the very prospect of having them. Their credo is “yes, but...”. And this, said in a weak voice in which tears tremble, “but” categorically excludes the possibility for them to do anything on their own.
Having fallen into someone else's heartily open arms, hysterical people remain in them for the rest of their lives - they are “too weak” to walk on their own feet.
Having settled comfortably in a quiet, “windless” place, a fragile butterfly can bring offspring - and after that don’t say a word to it at all: I am for you, not sparing myself, and you...! Or something similar. But this comfort is purely external, because in the head of such a cut personality there is real soda.
Methods for treating hysteria
Why don’t a person or his loved ones often sound the alarm in case of hysteria? They think that this is a feature of a person's character. Most often this concerns the treatment of female hysteria. Neither the woman herself nor her relatives think that the behavior is dictated by the disease.
Patients may believe that the cause of their strange behavior is chronic fatigue or stress. But don’t ignore the symptoms of the disease! Let us remember that in some cases hysteria can lead to deafness and blindness. The disease requires identification and treatment.
There are several ways that can help get rid of the disease.
Psychotherapy
With this method, the doctor examines the patient and conducts a series of psychological tests with him. It helps to identify the causes of hysterical disorder through lengthy conversations. But not every person is able to analyze their emotions, states, and past. Not everyone can calmly remember childhood and other age periods, as well as the incidents that occurred during these periods.
However, a competent psychoanalyst will identify the reasons why a person may be hysterical in the present tense. He also assesses the psychological status of the patient.
Psychotherapy can help treat the disease. Treatment does not give the desired effect in cases where patients use their condition to obtain benefits, clearly understand this and manipulate others. In this case, this method of treatment may be useless.
This method also includes group and family psychotherapy. They help a person look at himself from the outside.
Forecast
Hysteria in psychology is an affective state into which a person enters under certain unfavorable circumstances:
- when he is scared;
- finds himself in a traumatic situation;
- seeks to protest against current events.
The prognosis for most people who tend to throw tantrums from time to time is generally favorable. In cases where hysteria is associated with the presence of serious mental pathologies, then longer therapy may be required to restore the patient.
For example, hysteria is difficult to correct when:
- anorexia;
- suicidal behavior;
- somnambulism (sleepwalking);
- organic lesions of the nervous system.
If there are psychological problems, the patient should not ignore them, but should try to deal with the difficulties that arise, which will help him in the future to avoid the occurrence of hysterical attacks and the development of severe depression.
Hysteria can act as a tool for manipulating other people, or it can be a sign of a serious illness. Psychologists believe that prolonged, repeated hysterics should not be ignored and such conditions should be corrected with the help of medications and psychotherapy.
Prevention of the occurrence of these conditions is the ability to work through emerging psychological problems, understanding one’s condition and one’s needs, as well as the help and support of loved ones.
