The 13th century Europe was no different in their definitions of hysteria, only now recommending that widows and nuns partake in the treatment of hysteria to balance the fluids and emotional stability of such individuals. Yes, uterine or gynecologicals massage was exactly what you think it … The American Psychiatric Association dropped the term hysteria in 1952. A physician in 1859 claimed that a quarter of all women suffered from hysteria, which is reasonable considering that one physician cataloged 75 pages of possible symptoms of hysteria and called the list incomplete; almost any ailment could fit the diagnosis. Charcot also believed that the body contained “hysterogenic zones,” that when touched would activate spasms or convulsions (Collini). When a patient could not be diagnosed or cured of a disease, it was thought that the symptoms of what would now be diagnosed as mental illness, were actually those of someone possessed by the devil. [9][11] It was thought to purge the uterus of any built-up fluid, and semen was thought to have healing properties, 'In this model ejaculation outside the vagina was conducive to uterine disease, since the female genitalia did not receive the health benefits of male emission. If the doctor believed that the female was gaining pleasure out of the treatment, it was immediately stopped (Starr and Aron, 377). The management of hysterical patients is difficult. The black berry fruit is considered an effective home remedy for hysteria. There were many reasons for its decline. Victorian treatments for hysteria. Drugs like antidepressants or anxiolytics can be tried if depression or anxiety co-exists. Furthermore, the term hysteria, once the focus of intensive treatment efforts and research, can scarcely be found in modern mainstream psychiatric literature. 37.1 (2009): 21-36. Giovanni Matteo Ferrari da Gradi cited marriage and childbearing as a cure for the disease. [6], While in the Hippocratic texts a wide range of women were susceptible – including in particular the childless – Galen in the 2nd century omitted the childless and saw the most vulnerable group as "widows, and particularly those who previously menstruated regularly, had been pregnant and were eager to have intercourse, but were now deprived of all this" (On the Affected Parts, 6.5). Web. Eventually, physicians would use the hand-held electric vibrator as it was quicker and prevented muscle aches and pains. Female Hysteria was once considered a medical diagnosis for a long time and patients were treated actively with proper medication and other management techniques. Despite Victorian doctor’s acknowledgement of hysteria as an illness that can affect both men and women, the general consensus was that it still primarily affected women. 1860. It is mental instability, fits of anger, anxiety; Things that actually happen when you get sick or hurt. [13] Charcot's use of photography,[14] and the resulting concretization of women's expressions of health and distress, continued to influence women's experiences of seeking healthcare. To help hysterical patients it is essential to have sympathy for them. Even Charcot, who openly notes that hysteria is not an illness of the uterus, believes that a woman’s ovaries are still sensitive “hysterogenic zones.” Basically, it would appear as if even scientific theory and development was still emphasizing the importance  woman’s maternal role in Victorian society. [29], Today, female hysteria is no longer a recognized illness, but different manifestations of hysteria are recognized in other conditions such as schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, conversion disorder, and anxiety attacks.[30]. [1] Although Maines's theory that hysteria was treated by masturbating female patients to orgasm is widely repeated in the literature on female anatomy and sexuality,[19] some historians dispute Maines's claims regarding the prevalence of this treatment for hysteria and its relevance to the invention of the vibrator, describing them as a distortion of the evidence or that they are only relevant to a very small group. As prescribed by a doctor can be applied restorative drugs. Charcot's theories of hysteria being a physical affliction of the mind and not of the body led to a more scientific and analytical approach to hysteria in the 19th century. ven Charcot, who openly notes that hysteria is not an illness of the uterus, believes that a woman’s ovaries are still sensitive “hysterogenic zones.” Basically, it would appear as if even scientific theory and development was still emphasizing the importance  woman’s maternal role in Victorian society. It was thought that demoniacal forces were attracted to those who were prone to melancholy, particularly to single women and the elderly. Avoid lying down after eating 3. Feminist writers such as Catherine Clément and Hélène Cixous wrote in The Newly Born Woman from a place of opposition to the theories proposed in psychoanalytical works, pushing against the notion that socially constructed femininities and hysteria are natural to being female. [3] In this culture, the womb was thought capable of affecting much of the rest of the body, but "there is no warrant for the fanciful view that the ancient Egyptians believed that a variety of bodily complaints were due to an animate, wandering womb". Electronic. [6] Hysteria was referred to as "the widow's disease", because the female semen was believed to turn venomous if not released through regular climax or intercourse. The most vehement negative statements associating feminism with hysteria came during the militant suffrage campaign. Plato's dialogue Timaeus compares a woman's uterus to a living creature that wanders throughout a woman's body, "blocking passages, obstructing breathing, and causing disease". In the 18th century, hysteria slowly became associated with mechanisms in the brain rather than the uterus. 43.4 (2016): 277- 287. [4] Uterine prolapse was also known. Electronic. [5], While most Hippocratic writers saw the retention of menstrual blood in the womb as a key problem, for Galen even more serious was the retention of "female seed". So, when we speak of the treatment and cure of these patients, we wrongly say we have cured the hysteria; we have cured only the hysterical symptom. Electronic. The aim of homeopathic medicine for hysteria is not only to treat hysteria but to address its underlying cause and individual susc… [11][9] Physician Abraham Zacuto writes in his Praxis Medica Admiranda from 1637, 'Because of retention of the sexual fluid, the heart and surrounding areas are enveloped in a morbid and moist exudation: this is especially true of the more lascivious females, inclined to venery, passionate women who are most eager to experience physical pleasure; if she is of this type she cannot ever be relieved by any aid except that of her parents who are advised to find her a husband. [9] At the time female patients sought medical practitioners for the massage treatment of hysteria. “Women on the Couch: Genital Stimulation and the Birth of Psychoanalysis.” Psychoanalytic Dialogues. [1], In Western medicine hysteria was considered both common and chronic among women. Exercise and outdoor games are also important. Avoid or minimize the intake of spicy, greasy and fatty foods 2. [11], Rachel Maines hypothesized that physicians from the classical era until the early 20th century commonly treated hysteria by manually stimulating the genitals of, i. e. masturbating, female patients to the point of orgasm, which was denominated "hysterical paroxysm", and that the inconvenience of this may have motivated the original development of and market for the vibrator. What is hysteria? For women, “hysterogenic zones” near the ovaries were especially sensitive areas for convulsions and tremors (Alvarado, 27). can be given for a short time. Hysterical Men: Gender and American Medical Discourse, 1840-1898. [13], New theories relating to hysteria came from pure speculation; doctors and physicians could not connect symptoms to the disorder, causing it to decline rapidly as a diagnosis. In layman's terms, hysteria is often used to describe behavior that seems excessive and out of control. [1] In extreme cases, the woman may have been forced to enter an insane asylum or to have undergone surgical hysterectomy. Conventional therapy offers little to treat those with hysteria. He dispelled the beliefs that hysteria had anything to do with the supernatural and attempted to define it medically. As mentioned in earlier posts, the Victorian era still mainly associated hysteria with women, and therefore most forms of treatment related to them, and not men. This decline has been attributed to many factors. Collini, Sara. [6] Aretaeus of Cappadocia described the uterus as "an animal within an animal" (less emotively, "a living thing inside a living thing"), which causes symptoms by wandering around a woman's body putting pressure on other organs.