How many times must you have used the word “hysterical” in your daily conversations? To most of us, it is just a casual term denoting someone who reacts irrationally and out of proportion to a situation. Its literal meaning is “to lose self-control due to an overwhelming fear that may be caused by multiple events in one’s past (?)that involved some sort of severe conflict.” Today, the term “hysteria” is recognized as a medical illness called “Conversion Disorder” as per DSM- IV criteria.
Conversion disorder is a neurosis marked by the appearance of physical symptoms without physical cause but in the presence of psychological conflict. (Source: Wikipedia). The symptoms that the patient suffers from can misleadingly indicate a neurological condition or substance abuse disorder, but cannot be fully explained by any medical condition and occurs as a result of an emotional stress that the…
