These are now known to be common in psychological conditions such as dissociative andsomatic disordersin both males and females.

“It was also known as “wandering uterus.”

The Greek physician Celsus suggested that both virginity and abstinence helped cure hysteria.

Charcot teaching on hysteria

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The word hysteria comes from the Greekhystera, which means “uterus.”

Hysteria and Psychoanalysis

Hysteria helped shape the field of psychoanalysis.

Freud’s colleague, Carl Jung, treatedSabina Spielrein, a young woman also thought to suffer from hysteria.

Jung and Freud’s many discussions of Spielrein’s case helped give rise to their theories.

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What Does Hysteria Feel Like?

Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative disorders interrupt aspects of consciousness such as identity and memory.

Hysterical contagion, a form of social contagion, causes symptoms often associated with hysteria to spread among people.

Treatment for Hysteria

Treating hysteria-like symptoms associated with dissociative and somatic symptom disorders typically includes psychotherapy.

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