Definition

1. Noun:
   • A psychological condition characterized by chronic fatigue, weakness, and emotional distress: "neurasthenia" refers to a non-technical, historical term for a collection of symptoms including tiredness, anxiety, headache, and irritability, often attributed to exhaustion of the nervous system.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The doctor diagnosed her persistent exhaustion and low spirits as neurasthenia.
  • In the late 19th century, neurasthenia was a common diagnosis for what we might now call stress-related illness.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Non-Technical Term: The term "neurasthenia" is largely historical and is not used in modern clinical psychiatry or psychology. It is often found in historical texts or used descriptively.
  • The character's neurasthenia in the Victorian novel reflected the period's understanding of mental fatigue.

Variants and Related Words

• Neurasthenic (adj): Relating to or suffering from neurasthenia.
  • He was described as having a neurasthenic temperament.

Synonyms

• Nervous exhaustion
• Nervous prostration
• Nervous breakdown (colloquial, non-technical)

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Suffering from nerves: An informal phrase with a similar non-specific meaning.
  • She was said to be suffering from her nerves, much like a diagnosis of neurasthenia.

Noun

1. nervous breakdown (not in technical use)