Definition:
Hysteria is a mental illness associated with other psychiatric disorders. It is characterized by dissociative and conversion reactions depending on the patient’s condition.
Diagnosis:
The illness is diagnosed by restrictive observation of the patient’s behavior.
Treatment:
Hysteria is treated by psychoanalysis, psychotherapy and tranquilizers as a form of medication.
Symptoms and Signs:
The symptoms of hysteria vary. For those who demonstrate conversion reactions, symptoms play on their physical conditions. Patients may wage a sudden uproar and go wild, or be paralyzed for a certain period of time. Dissociative reactions meanwhile are different. Patients seem to lose knowledge of their identity and wander around like strangers. They also lose the concept of time and reality, or may go into a catatonic state.
Causes:
Hysteria is caused by a number of reasons. It may be due to their ongoing mental disorders, or can be a result of the medications given for treatment. Others meanwhile are triggered by traumatic experiences in the past.
