Hysteria (hysterical neurosis). What is hysteria in psychology: signs of hysterical seizure causes

Hysteria is one of the varieties of complex neurosis. Its main manifestation is a specific affective-emotional attack. Having seen it once, you will not forget it again and will not confuse it with anything. Also, the disease is characterized by the reversibility of mental disorders and the absence of local changes in the brain. Such patients try to attract as much attention as possible to themselves. It was once believed that women were predominantly affected by this disease. But now it is equally common in men.

Causes of hysteria

As in any mental illness, the main cause of hysteria is a violation of human behavior. At the heart of hysteria are the features of the development of behavior, personality. All this is directly dependent on how suggestible and emotional a person is. Often a hysterical fit is the result of a conflict, various experiences and neuropsychic overstrain. The main role in the development of neurosis is played by human infantilism and hysterical character traits, burdened heredity. Provoking factors include:

• Severe diseases of the internal organs.
• Physical stress.
• Dissatisfaction with professional activities.
• Trouble in the family.
• Postponed injuries.
• Alcohol abuse.
• Excessive use of medicines.

In addition, it has been proven that the disease occurs in people with the absence of certain character traits. A person who is deprived of them, under the influence of provoking factors, has a reactive state. According to scientists, a fit of tantrum rarely occurs suddenly. Usually they prepare for it, like actors before a performance. We can say that in this way the patient is trying to get away from the unbearable reality and get some benefits from it. There is even such an assumption that a person, under the influence of certain factors, works like a reflex and a hysterical reaction begins.

signs of hysteria

The most important feature of the behavior of such patients is the desire to always be in the center of attention, to arouse in others a feeling of envy and admiration. Such people try to dress loudly and defiantly, talk about high achievements, about the tragic past of their lives, often far-fetched. The disease begins with the appearance of signs of hysteria. It is provoked by a quarrel, emotional experiences, excitement. Such a diagnosis is often not difficult to make. Although the disease has a large number of a wide variety of symptoms. It is not for nothing that hysteria in ancient times was called the "great malingerer", since under it it can hide many diseases that require a differentiated diagnosis. What can be seen?

• Demonstrative behavior with increased psycho-emotional outburst, various seizures.
• Complaints about discomfort in the region of the heart, interruptions in the work of the heart, lack of air.
• Instability of mood - crying is replaced by laughter.
• Shaky gait, functional paralysis and paresis, inability to move independently.
• Playing in public, there is a childish absurd behavior that does not correspond to the age of the patient.
• Lack of sensitivity in some areas of the mucous membrane and skin.
• Loss of consciousness with seizures. The patient remembers the state of the attack well, although he does not always talk about it.
• Feeling of a lump in the throat.
• Contractive headache.
• Violation of the perception of the surrounding world - a change in sensitivity, deafness and blindness.
• "Escape to illness" - even a minor conflict with others causes a person to have an attack. They cannot work normally, they simulate a serious illness.

Quite often, hysteria is hidden under many diseases that doctors try to treat for a long time and ineffectively with standard methods. But in hysteria, the symptoms appear at those moments when the patient himself needs it. The classic variant of the manifestation of the disease is a hysterical seizure. The main reason for the development of a seizure is any experience that led to the disruption of the mechanisms of nervous activity. In persons with a tendency to hysteria, a seizure can develop at the slightest provocation. During a seizure, the following movements appear: patients tear their clothes, hair, knock with their feet, fall to the floor and roll on it, bend, cry. The most important thing is that a fit of hysteria begins in front of everyone. An attack is preceded by laughter or crying, never occurs in a sleeping person. Alone, there will never be a seizure. Unlike an epileptic seizure, here patients gently fall to the floor so as not to be badly damaged. There will be no involuntary urination, biting of the tongue, bruises after a fit of hysteria. If a lot of people and sympathizers have gathered, then an attack of hysteria can drag on. But with the appearance of other irritating factors (cold water, pain), the patient quickly comes to his senses. These patients are characterized by the following character traits and behaviors:

• Constant desire to be the center of attention
• Egocentrism
• Tearfulness and capriciousness
• Frequent mood swings
• Theatricality and demonstrative behavior.

The disease has a chronic course with periodic exacerbations throughout life. Hysteria in children occurs as a result of a long psychotrauma that infringes on his personality and rights (as the child himself believes). It is noticed that pampered children with weak will and immunity to criticism suffer from this disease. Such children are not accustomed to any household duties, they do not understand the words "need" and "no". But the words “give quickly” and “I want it” are very well perceived. Children have contradictions between desires and real life. The first attack of hysteria in children can be found in infancy. The baby asks to be held in his mother's arms, but she cannot take him. What do some kids do? They begin to cry, scream, can throw their head back, fall on the bed. It is worth taking the baby in your arms, as he falls silent and calms down. This is the first manifestation of a hysterical fit. Older children, when they refuse to buy a toy they like, also begin to behave in the store. The attack ends when the mother agrees to the terms of the child.

Patients with symptoms of hysteria require the consultation and treatment of a psychiatrist. But only after testing. The treatment of hysteria requires the obligatory assistance and relatives. Such a family member should be treated calmly, without undue anxiety. First of all, it is necessary to establish the cause of the disease and eliminate it. Such people are trying to find the best solution to the problem and help overcome it. Complex treatment with medicines and psychotherapy is carried out. Of the medicines, vitamins, psychotropic and restorative drugs are used. From physiotherapeutic procedures, acupuncture, soothing massage are used. The impact on the psycho-emotional background is achieved through autogenic training, rational psychotherapy, the use of hypnosis and the method of suggestion. During psychotherapy, together with the patient, the doctor analyzes the causes that led to the disease. Hypnosis is considered the most effective treatment for hysteria. Occupational therapy also plays a certain role - it distracts the patient from experiences, creates conditions for communication with other people, the team. How to help a child with an attack of hysteria? You can spray with cold water, shake, slap. If the baby fell, convulsive twitches began, then it is advisable to lay it on a soft surface, hold the legs, arms and head a little so that there is no severe damage. In principle, helping adults is also not very different from helping children. You can only spank an adult on the cheeks, it is advisable to put pressure on the earlobes. Depending on the severity of the disease, treatment will be outpatient or inpatient.

We use the expression "throw a tantrum" often, meaning by it too impulsive manifestation of emotions with tears, screams, and even sometimes breaking dishes. What is hysteria - a disease or ordinary behavioral promiscuity?

Hysteria as a disease

It is necessary to separate the concept of "hysteria" as a disease and everyday "hysteria" as a deliberate "acting" scene. It's not the same thing.

What is hysteria?

Hysteria- psychosomatic neurotic disease. Hysteria is characteristic, except for the demonstrative expression of one's emotions (laughter, screams, tears, sobs) and other symptoms of hysteria such as spasms, seizures, headaches, confusion, convulsions, and even blindness and deafness after a particularly violent fit of hysteria.

Often the symptoms of hysteria are associated with other psychopathic manifestations.: phobias, hostility to any colors, numbers, confidence in a conspiracy against oneself. Hysteria of varying severity ( the most severe of them is hysterical psychopathy) affects about 8% of the world's population. Hysterical fits of such people These are manifestations of a serious illness, and not a performance at all. Usually, the first signs of hysterical neurosis appear in childhood, therefore, parents of such children who react excessively violently, hysterically to events, arching and screaming hoarsely, should definitely show them to a pediatric neurologist. The last one is signs and symptoms of a hysterical seizure in children.

Sometimes only a psychiatrist can help with hysteria

In the event that the problem has been growing like a snowball for years, and a pronounced an adult suffers from hysterical neurosis Only a psychiatrist can help him. In each case, the doctor must conduct a thorough analysis and on its basis prescribes the treatment of hysteria. It usually includes psychotropic drugs (usually sleeping pills, tranquilizers and anxolytics), as well as persuasion psychotherapy, autogenic training in order to uncover those life circumstances that cause and support the disease, and to try to level their significance in life. sick.

In mild cases, hysteria is treated on an outpatient basis., in more severe cases - in a hospital, but not in a psychiatric hospital, but in neurosis clinics, that is, the patient is not registered with the dispensary.

Household hysteria - a performance with a full house

Doctors have different opinions about how the line that separates a hysteroid patient from a person who tends to violently show his emotions on the verge of hysteria is determined. Such people can restrain themselves, but sometimes they do not consider it necessary to do this, because the outburst of emotions gives them the desired relaxation, after which they feel better. Thus, his hysterical antics are a simple uncontrollable outburst of emotions due to accumulated experiences, fatigue, fear, etc. The key difference between such a person, who sometimes displays his emotions too brightly, and a person with hysteria is precisely in the possibility or impossibility of controlling oneself. A patient with hysteria does not know how to express his feelings in a different way, both joy and anger.

So let's separate the wheat from the chaff. Hysteria is a disease. And in the everyday sense, "hysteria" is a scene of a surge of overwhelming emotions, and 99% of it is work for the viewer. Hysterical emotional outbursts, such as "screaming in the kitchen with breaking dishes" are nothing more than a way to get your way.

"Oh-oh-oh, what have I done?!" Consequences of hysteria

Such a person is impulsive and emotional from birth, has a developed, creative imagination, easily "turns on" over trifles and just as skillfully "turns on" those who are nearby. Always successfully manages to attract attention. He always needs an audience, without it the intensity quickly fades away. The main goal of this whole "performance" is to attract the attention of others and achieve your own. Such people will be helped by psychotherapy aimed at correcting behavior.

Little nuance. For some reason, women are more inclined to "rolling scenes", just as women are more often ill with hysteria. For every 10 women who periodically break dishes, there is approximately one man who, in the anger of a quarrel, breaks down the door or throws the TV off the balcony, so that later he can sit down and quietly ask himself "Oh-oh-oh, what have I done?"

A separate type of hysteria is a mentally healthy and outwardly quite balanced person who can explode at one moment. Such people then tend to regret their antics and feel ashamed of their unbalanced character. Psychologists call this type "epileptoid".

Is the wandering uterus to blame?

Speaking of female tantrums. Even in ancient times, Hysterus (translated from Latin as "wandering uterus") was considered a disease exclusively for women. Like, "unsatisfied uterus" in the truest sense of the word wanders through the body and makes a woman periodically lose her temper.

And even then, in the Middle Ages and modern times, it was believed for a long time that only women are really hysterical, and this was explained by the vagaries of female sex hormones. No, of course we Today we know about premenstrual syndrome and that these days a woman is characterized by increased excitability, resentment and irritability. But this does not make her a hysteric in the sense in which this word exists in medical reference books. Let's just say, apparently women have simply found the most effective tool for influencing others: sobbing and wringing hands - and everything will be my way. Although from a medical point of view, involutional hysteria can be observed in women in some cases of the so-called. pathological menopause, which is also characterized by other disorders of the nervous system - depression, mood swings, anxiety, various autonomic disorders.

What to do if someone near you has a tantrum

Of course, it is often impossible to figure it out on your own - the actor in front of you is "breaking a comedy" or a sick person is in distress. And this once again confirms the fact that, be that as it may, there is little you can do to calm him down. But there are some general recommendations regarding what will help to quickly end the attack or scene of the game.

Do not persuade him to calm down, do not regret and do not fall into hysterics yourself - this will only incite the hysteroid. Be indifferent or even go somewhere else until the scene is over.

If the scene goes off scale in all respects, and this is seen, for example, by children, you can try to stop the attack with some sharp action - pour a glass of water on the person, give a slight slap in the face, press the pain point on the arm just below the cubital fossa.

After the seizure, give the person a glass of cold water or persuade them to sniff ammonia.

Be sure to seek help from doctors if we are talking about your relative - the disease can progress.

If you yourself know your craving for arranging ugly scenes just for the sake of relaxation, and even more so you find some kind of “charm” in this, it’s better to try to direct your energy in another direction - for example, get relaxation by playing sports, dancing, walking with a dog . It would also be useful to turn to a psychologist, otherwise you run the risk of not getting any reaction at all to your tantrums over time - a person gets used to everything. At best, they will think about you: “He will scream and calm down,” and at worst ... it’s even scary to imagine.

If you know a way to deal with a tantrum in a husband or loved one, please leave feedback about this method in the comments below.

At present, the diagnosis and the term "hysteria" itself has disappeared from mass circulation and is not officially used in the international classifier of diseases due to its ambiguity. Narrower terms have appeared associated with hysterical neurosis, the most common of which are: “hysterical personality disorder”, “conversion disorder”, “anxious hysteria”, etc. The concept of “hysteria” in psychology means a combination of some properties and character traits that are inherent in hysterical personalities.

The hysterical personality is characterized by excessive excitement, stage presence, emotional instability and hyperactivity. She wants to constantly be in the spotlight, regardless of whether there is any purpose in this or not. The hysterical personality is self-centered, mentally immature, often empty and dependent on others.

Symptoms of hysteria

Hysterical personalities are characterized by increased emotionality and suggestibility. Weakness of the nervous system weakens control functions. A hysterical person lives an unreasonable and rational life, but an emotional one.

Symptoms of hysterical neurosis develop under conditions of adverse social factors. The disease is formed in childhood, as a rule, as a result of neglect on the part of parents. Also, hysterical neurosis in children develops in an atmosphere of oppression, oppression, poverty, ignorance and lack of interest.

Hysteria signs:

• Great impressionability, but with a selfish bias.

• Painful selfishness.

• Fantasy.

• Rapid mood swings and emotional instability.

• The desire to attract attention in any way, as a rule, by excessive theatricality and deceit.

• Lack of objective truth in relation to oneself and others.

• Feelings are superficial, attachments are fragile, interests are shallow.

• Inconsistency in judgments.

• Easily suggestible, in regards to what helps them in matters of getting attention.

• Playing out resentment and unhappiness.

• Theatrical suicide attempts, calculated to impress but stay alive.

• Envy and jealousy.

• Hysterical people feel best in an atmosphere of gossip, intrigue and scandal.

• mental immaturity.

• The desire to be sick and to benefit from their illness.

• Tantrums and hysterical seizures, which are most often manifested in the form of convulsive laughter or crying.

Treatment for hysteria

The earlier the psychotherapeutic treatment of patients with hysteria is started, the more effective is the relief of the symptoms of the disease before they have time to be fixed in the mind of the patient. Otherwise, you may face protracted treatment and the development of personality psychopathization.

“Well, he threw a tantrum again!” " How much can you hysteria? " And without hysteria is impossible? " What same you hysterical! It's just impossible with you." This can sometimes be heard when two people are trying to find some solution to a problem, and then one of them becomes too emotional and breaks into a scream that turns into sobs. What is hysteria, and how is this concept related to hysteria? What are the causes, signs and symptoms of a tantrum? And most importantly - what to do with it? How to deal with tantrums? What is the difference between hysterics and hysteroids?About this article by psychotherapist Valery Belyanin

Hysterics and hysteroids

Hysterics and hysteroids

There are many similar words in the language:economic, economic, economical; bloody, bloody, bloody . Such words are called paronyms, and despite all the similarities, they still differ from each other. Paronyms include wordshysteria, hysteria, hysteria and hysteria . They differ in terminology.

hysterical fit(colloquially "hysteria") is a temporary state, hysteria- a psychosomatic illness or a form of neurosis, and hysteria- a property of character. A hysteric (hysterical) is a person who throws tantrums (again, this is a colloquial word), and a hysteroid (which is more scientific) is a person prone to hysteroid reactions.

If we are talking about personality, then it is more correct to speak of “hysterical“. Here is what the Dictionary of the American Psychiatric Association says:

hysteroid personality disordercharacterized by long-term (rather than episodic) types of behavior, which consist in self-dramatization when individuals attract attention to themselves, tend to be active and aroused, overreact to minor events, experience, and are prone to manipulative suicide threats and gestures. Such individuals appear to others as superficial, self-centered, disregarding others, conceited, demanding, dependent and helpless. Previously, this disorder was called histrionic personality disorder..

Hysterical neurosis

As a rule, hysterical neuroses (hysteria) occurs in people who believe they are somewhat unusual. Indeed, they are characterized by egocentrism, demonstrative behavior, mood swings, increased emotional excitability. In addition, these people are highly suggestible and self-suggestible. That is why, even if the disease began with the aim of manipulating others, then, as a result, the patient really feels a number of painful symptoms. Over time, this reaction is fixed at the level.

Cause of hysteria counts Availability In human life traumatic situations both long-term and situational.

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hysterical fit

hysterical fit(in colloquial hysterics) can occur in completely different people under the influence of circumstances that are difficult for them to overcome. A single seizure does not make a person "hysterical."

A single tantrum should not be confused with such psychosomatic manifestations as hysterical blindness, hysterical deafness, numbness of the legs, etc.

Tantrum symptoms

Hysterical symptoms are very diverse. More often they appear infit of hysterics. Usually these are bouts of convulsive crying, sometimes turning into laughter, but usually ending in cries and manifesting throughout the body (the so-called "motor storm" - Kretschmer's term).

Strong tantrumcan end with a fall to the floor, and convulsions. These convulsions quite successfully copy epileptic seizures, but they are characterized by a lesser degree of obscuration of consciousness, a longer duration of the seizure, erratic and theatrical movements.

A sign of hysteriacan be a dramatically changing emotional state and behavior of a person who finds himself in a difficult situation, but cannot reasonably approach its solution.

What to do with hysteria?

What should you do if someone close to you has a tantrum?When a tantrum unfolds before your eyes, it can be difficult to understand what is in front of you:

• staged?
• strange behavior?
• is the person really sick?
• Or is the person doing everything to annoy you?

When observing a tantrum, it is very difficult to get rid of the idea that a person is "hysterical" on purpose to get his own way or to scare you away from reasoning about the problem.

• Help the person recover

When a person is hysterical, it is difficult to control himself, so you should try to help him “come to his senses” - offer a glass of water, valerian, ask to calm down.

• Do not persuade

If you start persuading a person, calming him or pitying him, then you will begin to act in the field of his coordinates, where only he will set the direction of communication. However, when a person has a tantrum, there is little that can calm him down, it is difficult to reason with him. In a state of hysteria, a person is almost not affected by logic. It is better to remain calm and speak less.

• Leave the premises

If you stay close, you will play the role of the audience, for the sake of which the whole "spectacle" is played out. Therefore, it is better to leave and wait until the attack is over.

• Try to help again

If you think that the situation is getting out of control, then you can try to apply a very small physical impact: sprinkle water on the person, lightly pat on the cheeks, lightly press on the pain pointon the arm just below the fossa of the elbow.When the seizure is over, offer the person a glass of cold water or let them smell ammonia.

• talk

After the tantrum, talk to the person, say that you can’t cope with his actions (do not generalize to behavior, and even more so, to character) and offer to seek help from a doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, psychotherapist. Just do it very gently, without aggression and without "getting personal."

What is the cause of hysteria

The question is what is hysteriaand why it arises is practically solved in psychology. More J.-P. Sartre, in An Essay on the Theory of Emotions (1939), calls hysteria a negative behavior, noting that it aimed at denying the urgency of the problems and replacing them with others. He wrote that an emotional breakdown in hysteria is an evasion of responsibility . Precedes the hysteria "the magical exaggeration of the difficulties of the world" , he writes. "The world ... appears ... as unjust and hostile". And the choice that a person makes, indulging in hysterics, is not the choice of an adult, it is choosing to be a child.

Hysteria in a child

Why do some children like to throw tantrums, while others can control their emotions? There is no single answer to this question. Perhaps the parents contributed to this by naming the girl Cleopatra and the boy Leopold (just kidding). You can still notice that since childhood, some children have a desire to show off, dress brightly, attract attention to themselves with an unusual state, a whim.

But if the whim turns into hysteria, then it arises:

• scream, cry;
• the child hits his head against the wall or rolls on the floor;
• scratches the face;
• he has convulsions, the body bends ("hysterical bridge").

Causes of hysteria in children

Why does a child have a tantrum? Tantrums do not occur in a vacuum. It just seems like they start unexpectedly. In fact, a child who is prone to tantrums does not know how to control his emotions; his momentary desires require instant fulfillment; he does not always know how to express his needs verbally.

Frequent manifestations of any behavior can shape the character of a person, making him less balanced and more accentuated.character accentuationsuggests an increase in the degree of certain personality traits wrote the German psychiatrist Karl Leohard (1904-1988). This is not yet psychopathology, but close to it.

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Teen hysteroid

Ernst Kretschmer (1888-1964) believed that many of the features characteristic of hysterical personalities are the lingering remnants of the psyche of the onset of puberty (15-16 years), which, under the influence of adverse circumstances, underwent a pathological change. And these changes are very specific: the contrast of the idealistic tension of love feelings and sexual coldness, the rapid flare-up of feelings and its slight attenuation. They can also be expressed in love for everything bright, exaggerated, it can be theatrical pathos, and the desire to play brilliant roles, and dreams of great goals.

In its extreme manifestationshysteroid girl or hysteroid boymay play with suicide, dreamily seeking self-sacrifice. Often this is combined with naive childish selfishness, when adults become "enemies number one."

Tantrums are called both adult children and "adult teenagers" who have experienced a delay in biological development.

Hysteroid woman

Researchers note that hysteria is much more common in women than in men. In its extreme manifestation, hysterical women are infantile, their thinking is situational-emotional, it is tied to a recent event.

Such women are suggestible, they are easily persuaded and accept the position of an authoritative interlocutor for them uncritically. They do not know how to be distracted from the situation, they depend on momentary experiences.

Hysteroid type of man

There is an idea that hysteria is a feature of a predominantly female character. However, there are oftenmale hysteroids. Who are they?

A hysterical man can be imposing and elegant or sloppy. He can know a lot, he can be an avid collector, speak deliberately loudly or deliberately very quietly. In any case, his task is to attract attention to himself.

There are a lot of decorations in the clothes of a hysterical woman (large beads, clip-on earrings, bows, headbands, bright ribbons), they wear bright clothes even in old age. Preference is often given to white.

For men, a mouthpiece, cigarettes, a smoking pipe with tobacco in a pouch (instead of a cigarette), a chain or even a pendant, a ring, a hat, a white scarf, a carved cane, a bright jacket, a badge, etc. can be a means to attract attention. They often wear mustaches.

The body of an adult, according to the observations of psychoanalyst V. Zhikarentsov, “looks seductive”: “This is both a child and a woman at the same time, who calls, lures and seduces at the same time. This is a child's body on the lower part that has taken shape in a feminine way. It has a split between the upper and lower halves: the upper part is hard and restraining, while the lower part is soft and yielding. In the upper part of the body there is a powerful block - protection, which makes the heart impenetrable. The movements are rolling, soft, seductive. Such a person holds his head straight, proudly. The jaw is firm and determined. The face may be motionless and inanimate. Eyes - frightened and wide open (both literally and figuratively).

Elderly people are hysteroids

The behavior of an elderly person can also be hysterical. He can dress inappropriately for his age, have frivolous conversations, flirt with younger ones. The behavior of older people is difficult to correct. They are used to acting in a certain way all their lives, and age-related changes make them insensitive to the reactions of other people due to their special senile selfishness.

The speech of hysteroid personalities

In the speech of persons with hysterical accentuation, it is not so much the content that attracts attention, but the form. Hysteroids speak exaggeratedly loudly, with expression, with acting skills. Their speech can be both shrill and shrill. Often they speak quickly, as if afraid that they will not be allowed to finish. At the same time, they like to interrupt the interlocutor. They "capture" the space of communication, their solo part becomes the main one. At the same time, they do not always know how to coherently express their own views, since their speech is subject to associations, emotions, and not to the laws of logic. Yes, and they may not have their own view of the problem. If there is one's own position, then it is paradoxical or shocking in nature and contains numerous accusations and insults. Analysis and evaluation of events is replaced by a discussion of the persons involved in them.

The outrageousness of men can manifest itself in conversations on obscene topics, with vulgarity and rudeness, which are spoken with a rather serious look. By function, their speech is a challenge, an insult, a provocation.

There are exceptions when a hysterical personality, usually a man, having a good memory, bombards the interlocutor with facts and data gleaned from non-standard sources in order to show how everyone is wrong, and how right only he is.

Hysterical men often have pauses in their speech, their eyes sometimes stop after what has been said: they seem to expect the effect that their words should have produced.

The abundance of gestures, facial expressions and body movements is accompanied by a special intonation: it is intermittent, with a rise in every word (especially in women). It should also be noted - as a very characteristic feature - the laughter of a hysteroid personality. He is sharp, explosive, hoarse. Quite often he accompanies his own joke.

The mannerisms of hysteroids

Hysterical behavior is characterized by theatricality, deliberateness, the desire to present the committed actions in a favorable light, to ascribe non-existent dignity to oneself, simply to invent spectacular events in which the narrator plays the main, often heroic role. A tendency to fantasy, fabrications is also often found with a hysteroid character.

Any opportunity to mention his acquaintance with a celebrity is important to an hysteroid, which gives him great pleasure.

Lies of hysteroids

Pseudologists and pathological liars are close to hysteroid personalities, who possess, “on the one hand, an overly excitable, rich and immature fantasy, and, on the other hand, pronounced moral defects,” wrote psychiatrist P.B. Gannushkin (1875-1933).

A lie is a deliberate distortion of the real state of affairs. This is one of the ways to mislead people around you to achieve your own goals. Hysteroids can so sincerely believe in what they say, in their own inventions and illusions, that some authors consider it wrong to call hysterical behavior insincere. Hysteroids are very sincere in their delusions. The hysteroid, guessing that his actions create tension, cannot always refuse the chosen form of behavior, defending his fictions and fantasies with painful perseverance.

V.V. Znakov notes that "referring to the analysis of the psychological mechanisms of lies, it often needs to be considered as an external manifestation of the protective mechanisms of the individual, aimed at eliminating feelings of anxiety, discomfort caused by the subject's dissatisfaction with his relationships with others."

Hysteroid and love

Almost all people are subject to love. Hysteroids are perhaps the most loving representatives of the human race. They quickly “flare up”, passionately fall in love, sincerely suffer, and also passionately hate.

Marriage with a hysteroid is not always easy. On the one hand, he can be a good host, and she is a hostess. On the other hand, the solution of many ordinary problems can turn into a performance.

Hysteria in creativity

In the light of the foregoing, it will not be unexpected to observe that hysterical persons prefer the kind of activity associated with the world of art. Theatre, cinema, exhibitions, operetta, fashion, design attract just such people.

Since hysteroid personalities are characterized by deceit, the desire to attract attention in every possible way, a thirst for recognition, artistry, this makes the field of art the most acceptable niche for them.

According to the German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard, there are many descriptions of hysteroid personalities in fiction. He refers to them many characters of F.M. Dostoevsky: Klikush, Fyodor Pavlovich Smerdyakov ("The Brothers Karamazov"), Lebedev ("The Idiot"), Porfiry Petrovich ("Crime and Punishment"). There are many of them in world literature: Tartuffe (J.B. Molière "Thiriof"), Luzman (Lope de Vega "Luzman"), Felix Krul (T. Mann "Confessions of the adventurer Felix Krul"), Dorant (P. Corneille "Liar ”), Emperor Nero (Sienkiewicz “Quo vadis?”), Fiesco (F. Schiller “The Figco Conspiracy in Genoa”), a number of characters from ancient Greek authors (Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, Plautus). He believes that fiction is replete with demonstrative personalities.

This may be due not only to the fact that such "characters" exist in our lives, but also to the fact that writers have a hysterical beginning. For example, the German prose writer Karl May claimed that he was personally acquainted with the hero of his novels Winnetou, a noble Indian (Leonhard, 1981).

Hysteria manifests itself, according to our observations, most often in such a genre as a musical (operetta) and serials such as soap operas. Perhaps someone else remembers the series "Slave Isaura", which is based on the novel by the Brazilian writer of the 19th century Guimarães.Here is how the runaway slave is described there:“From the estate of seigneur Leoncio Gomes de Fonesca, municipal district of Campos, province of Rio de Janeiro, a slave named Izaura fled with the following signs: skin color is fair, her face is soft, like any white woman, her eyes are black and large, her hair is the same color, long, slightly curly, mouth small, pink, beautifully outlined, snow-white and even teeth, straight nose, thin waist, slim figure, medium height. On the left cheek there is a small black mole, above the right breast there is a burn mark, very similar to the wing of a butterfly. He dresses with taste and elegance, sings well and plays the piano virtuoso. Since she received an excellent education and has a good figure, anywhere she can pass for a free lady from a good society.Note that this is the text of the announcement that Leoncio placed in the local newspaper about his runaway slave.

neuropsychological

Model of the world of hysterical personality

Speaking about the features of the life path, it can be noted that the hysteroid personality describes his life as full of humiliation, betrayal, squabbles, harassment and failures. In the perception of one's life as humiliating, conflicting cognitive attitudes of the hysteric are embedded: "I want to be in the spotlight" and "I deserve contempt", "I am worthy of adoration." This brings them closer to narcissistic personalities.

That is why hysteroid personalities are so characterized by explicit or indirect emphasizing of their merits (real or fictional). Men may, as if by chance, mention their connections with the "powerful ones" or with people who rotate in the "world of art"; they like to talk about their material or physical abilities, and even about paranormal abilities. Women like to demonstrate the dignity of the figure, as if inadvertently, emphasizing this with clothes or decorating themselves. If others do not notice these signals, or - even worse - ignore them, then this can cause irritation in the hysteroid; he (or she) will avoid contact with people who have not sufficiently appreciated their worth, their exclusivity and originality. At the same time, they can defiantly break off the relationship by saying something like:

- I, by a sinful deed, thought that you were so all of yourself. And you, it turns out, do not represent anything.

- At first it seemed to me that we found a common language, but it turns out that you are a dishonorable person. I don't want to know you.

Or here is how the hero of N. Gogol's story "Dead Souls" Nozdryov expresses himself:

- Oh, Chichikov, why would you need to come? Really, you're a pig for this, a kind of cattle breeder! Kiss me, soul, death love you!

- I bet you're lying!

“However, this is embarrassing! What am I really! why do I always lie?

- Well, yes, I know you: you are a big swindler, let me tell you this as a friend! If I were your boss, I would hang you from the first tree.

It is important for the one who is rejected to understand what conclusions he can draw from the communication, what was actually wrong, and what was “incriminated”.

Histrionic personality disorder

How to help a hysteroid

Helping a hysteroid is not easy. First, he rarely asks for help. And treatment without request causes resistance in any person. Secondly, the help must be professional.

The manifestation of mental discomfort, directly related to the pathological transfer of the internal conflict to somatic soil. Characterized by motor (tremor, problems with coordination, aphonia, convulsions, paresis or paralysis), sensory (disturbance of sensitivity) and somatic disorders (disturbance of the internal organs), as well as hysterical seizures. The diagnosis is established on the basis of serious complaints that do not correspond to reality. Therapeutic measures include psycho- and occupational therapy, general health promotion and elimination of current clinical symptoms.

General information

A sharp deterioration (seizure) in hysteria is very similar to the manifestation of epilepsy. Any situation that is psychologically difficult for the patient to perceive - a quarrel, unpleasant news, the refusal of others to fulfill the desire of the patient - ends in a theatrical seizure. This may be preceded by dizziness, nausea and other signs of pseudo-deterioration.

The patient falls, bending into an arc. In this case, the patient will always fall “correctly”, trying to protect himself from injury as much as possible. Waving his arms and legs, hitting his head on the floor, violently showing his emotions with tears or laughter, the patient depicts unbearable suffering. Unlike the epileptic, the hysteric does not lose consciousness, the reaction of the pupils is preserved. A loud cry, irrigation of the face with cold water, or a slap in the face will quickly bring the patient to his senses. Also, the patient is given out by the complexion: with an epileptic seizure, the face is purple-cyanotic, and with hysteria, it is red or pale.

A hysterical seizure, unlike an epileptic one, never happens in a dream. The latter always happens in public. If the public ceases to pay attention to the hysterical convulsions or retires, the fit will quickly end. After an attack, the patient may show amnesia, up to ignorance of his own name and surname. However, this manifestation is also short-term, memory recovery occurs quite quickly, since it is inconvenient for the patient himself.

Hysteria is the "great simulator". The patient vividly talks about his complaints, excessively demonstrating their confirmation, but at the same time shows emotional indifference. You might think that the patient enjoys many of his "sores", while considering himself a complex nature that requires close comprehensive attention. If the patient learns about any manifestations of the disease that were previously absent from him, with a high probability these symptoms will appear.

Diagnosis of hysterical neurosis

Hysteria is the patient's translation of his psychological problems into a physical channel. The absence of organic changes against the background of serious complaints is the main symptom in the diagnosis of hysterical neurosis. Most often, patients turn to a pediatrician or therapist. However, if hysteria is suspected, the patient is referred to a neurologist. With all the variety of manifestations of hysterical neurosis, the doctor finds discrepancies between the symptoms and the real state of the body. Although the patient's nervous tension may cause some increase in tendon reflexes and tremors of the fingers, the diagnosis of "hysterical neurosis" is usually not difficult.

Important! Seizures in children under 4 years old who want to achieve their desire are a primitive hysterical reaction and are also caused by psychological discomfort. Typically, affective seizures disappear on their own by the age of 5.

Instrumental studies are carried out to confirm the absence of any organic changes from the internal organs. CT scan of the spine and MRI of the spinal cord are prescribed for movement disorders. CT and MRI of the brain confirm the absence of organic pathology. Angiography of the vessels of the brain, rheoencephalography, ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck are used to exclude vascular pathology. EEG (electroencephalography) and EMG (electromyography) can confirm the diagnosis of hysteria.

In hysteria, the data of the above studies will disprove the pathology of the structures of the brain and spinal cord. Depending on the complaints that the patient confirms with certain external manifestations, the neurologist decides to appoint a consultation with a neurosurgeon, an epileptologist and other specialists.

Treatment of hysterical neurosis

The essence of the treatment of hysteria is to correct the patient's psyche. One such technique is psychotherapy. At the same time, the doctor does not pay excessive attention to the complaints of the patient. This will only provoke an increase in hysterical seizures. However, ignoring it completely can lead to the same results. Repeated courses of psychotherapy are required to identify the true cause of the condition that has arisen. A psychologist or psychotherapist, using suggestion, will help the patient adequately assess himself and the events taking place. The importance of hysteria is given to occupational therapy. Attracting the patient to work, searching for a new hobby distracts the patient from the neurotic state.

Basically, it comes down to the appointment of general strengthening agents. With increased excitability, it is advisable to prescribe drugs based on medicinal herbs (valerian, motherwort), bromine. In some cases, the use of tranquilizers in small doses and short-term courses is justified. When establishing insomnia (prolonged insomnia), sleeping pills are prescribed.

Forecast and prevention of hysterical neurosis

The prognosis for the life of such patients is quite favorable. Longer follow-up requires patients with signs of anorexia, somnambulism and suicide attempts. Longer, and sometimes prolonged treatment is required for patients of the artistic type and with hysteria that originated in childhood. A more unfavorable outcome is observed when hysterical neurosis is combined with organic lesions of the nervous system or severe somatic diseases.

Prevention of hysterical neurosis includes measures to prevent disorders of the psyche and nervous processes, as well as strengthening and preparing the nervous system for overstrain. These activities are especially important for artistic people and children.

It is necessary to somewhat limit the imagination and fantasies of the child, try to create a calm environment for him, attract him to sports and stay with peers. You should not constantly indulge whims and surround with excessive care. An important role in preventing the development of hysterical neurosis is played by the correct upbringing of the baby and the formation of a full-fledged personality. The patient himself should not ignore his psychological problems, their quick solution will eliminate the stressful situation and will not allow psychopathy to take root.