Psychology RootsHysteria
The term “hysteria” has been around for more than 2,000 years. It was used to refer to a condition where a repressed traumatic memory or a psychological conflict caused a physical symptom like blindness or paralysis. In modern psychology and psychiatry, hysteria has been replaced with the more accurate terms “conversion disorder” and “somatization disorder,” which both indicate the presence of physical symptoms with no physiological explanation. ”Conversion disorder” is one where motor and sensory functions are affected, resulting in symptoms like numbness, paralysis, and blindness, among others. ”Somatization disorder” affects the gastrointestinal, nervous, cardiopulmonary, or reproductive systems. Manifestations could include pain in multiple parts of the body, vomiting, diarrhea, and erectile dysfunction.
