psychoneurotic

/,saikounjuə'rɔtik/

Thân thiện

A patient discusses their psychoneurotic symptoms with a therapist.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Affected with or relating to a psychoneurosis: Describes a person or condition characterized by emotional disorders, anxiety, or neurotic symptoms that are psychological in origin but may have physical manifestations.

2. Noun:

   • A person suffering from a psychoneurosis: Refers to an individual diagnosed with a neurotic disorder, typically involving chronic distress, anxiety, or maladaptive behavior patterns without loss of contact with reality (as seen in psychosis).

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The patient exhibited psychoneurotic symptoms, including persistent anxiety and compulsive behaviors.
  • Her psychoneurotic tendencies made it difficult for her to cope with everyday stress.

• Noun:

  • The therapist specialized in treating psychoneurotics using cognitive-behavioral techniques.
  • He was diagnosed as a psychoneurotic after years of unexplained physical ailments linked to stress.

Advanced Usage

• In clinical/psychiatric contexts: The term is often used in formal medical or psychological discourse to classify disorders and patients. It may be considered somewhat dated but remains technically accurate.
  • The study compared treatment outcomes for psychoneurotic and psychotic patients.

Variants and Related Words

• Psychoneurosis (n): The neurotic disorder itself; a functional mental disorder involving anxiety, phobias, obsessions, or compulsions.

  • His condition was classified as a psychoneurosis.

• Neurotic (adj/n): A more common and broader term with similar meaning, often used interchangeably in non-technical language.

  • She had neurotic fears about cleanliness. (Adjective)
  • He is a bit of a neurotic about punctuality. (Noun)

Synonyms

• Neurotic (adj/n): The closest synonym, referring to emotional instability or anxiety-related disorders.
• Mentally/emotionally disordered (adj): A more general descriptive phrase.

Related Phrases/Idioms

(Note: As a clinical term, 'psychoneurotic' itself is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions. However, related concepts are.) - To have a nervous breakdown: A colloquial phrase for a severe, incapacitating episode of neurotic or psychoneurotic illness. - The constant pressure caused her to have a nervous breakdown.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. affected with emotional disorder

Noun

1. a person suffering from neurosis

Từ đồng nghĩa

• neurotic
• mental case