conversion hysteria
A patient with conversion hysteria experiences sudden paralysis in their arm.
Noun: A psychological condition, historically termed hysteria, where emotional distress or unconscious psychological conflict is expressed through physical symptoms that affect motor or sensory functions. These symptoms, such as paralysis, blindness, or numbness, have no identifiable neurological or medical cause.
This term is used in clinical psychology and psychiatry to describe a specific type of somatoform disorder. It is a technical term. - The patient's sudden blindness was diagnosed as a case of conversion hysteria. - In the late 19th century, conversion hysteria was a common diagnosis for unexplained physical ailments.
- The concept originates from psychoanalytic theory, where "conversion" refers to the process of transforming repressed psychic energy into a physical symptom.
- The term "hysteria" is now considered outdated and potentially pejorative. In modern diagnostic manuals (like the DSM-5), the preferred clinical term is conversion disorder or functional neurological symptom disorder.
- Conversion disorder: The modern, more precise diagnostic term.
- Functional neurological disorder: A broader term encompassing conversion symptoms.
- Hysteria: An archaic and broad term for emotional excess, historically (and problematically) associated with women.
- Conversion disorder
- Psychogenic disorder (in a neurological context)
This term has two primary, intertwined meanings: 1. Clinical Definition: A disorder with specific, unexplained physical symptoms stemming from psychological factors. 2. Historical Concept: A diagnostic category from early psychiatry and psychoanalysis, reflecting the theories of its time (e.g., Freud's studies). Its usage today often acknowledges this historical context.
A patient with conversion hysteria experiences sudden paralysis in their arm.
- a mental disorder characterized by the conversion of mental conflict into somatic forms (into paralysis or anesthesia having no apparent cause)