How Did Hysteria Occur In The Victorian Era
Ms. Julie – Hysteria
Background Information on Hysteria:
Hysteria in the Victorian Era (Greek name uterus) was a medical condition that was diagnosed exclusively in women throughout the late 20th century. It was a “nervous illness” that interfered with the body and the mental state of women. There were a wide range of symptoms associated with Hysteria and it was found to be the second most common diagnosis of sickness in women in the Victoria Era. Women living during this time period were considered to be the weaker and the more easily influenced sex and were thus thought to pose a greater risk of developing hysteria. It was only in the late 1900s (around 1970) that hysteria was proven to be a hoax, a pseudoscientific explanation of mental illness, which could be found in both men and women.
Basic Symptoms of Hysteria:
• Shortness of Breath
• Inability to sleep
• Irritability
• Fainting
• Depression
• Sexual Dysfunction
• Anxiety
• Embarrassing Actions
• Loss of Appetite
• Lust
Treatments for Hysteria
• In the past was punished with fire (due to its relationship with sorcery)
• Occupational therapy: Rehabilitation through integration of physical labour into everyday life.
• In extreme cases, women suffering from this malady would be admitted to an asylum. Asylums were socially acceptable ways of handling women with hysteria.
• Forced to have a hysterectomy. A hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus. It was believed that a woman developed Hysteria when her uterus became sick.
• Cured with herbs
• Sex or abstinence
• …show more content…
Do you think it was justified of doctors of that time period to believe that hysteria was an actual illness?
Johan August Strindberg
Background Information on Hysteria:
Hysteria in the Victorian Era (Greek name uterus) was a medical condition that was diagnosed exclusively in women throughout the late 20th century. It was a “nervous illness” that interfered with the body and the mental state of women. There were a wide range of symptoms associated with Hysteria and it was found to be the second most common diagnosis of sickness in women in the Victoria Era. Women living during this time period were considered to be the weaker and the more easily influenced sex and were thus thought to pose a greater risk of developing hysteria. It was only in the late 1900s (around 1970) that hysteria was proven to be a hoax, a pseudoscientific explanation of mental illness, which could be found in both men and women.
Basic Symptoms of Hysteria:
• Shortness of Breath
• Inability to sleep
• Irritability
• Fainting
• Depression
• Sexual Dysfunction
• Anxiety
• Embarrassing Actions
• Loss of Appetite
• Lust
Treatments for Hysteria
• In the past was punished with fire (due to its relationship with sorcery)
• Occupational therapy: Rehabilitation through integration of physical labour into everyday life.
• In extreme cases, women suffering from this malady would be admitted to an asylum. Asylums were socially acceptable ways of handling women with hysteria.
• Forced to have a hysterectomy. A hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus. It was believed that a woman developed Hysteria when her uterus became sick.
• Cured with herbs
• Sex or abstinence
• …show more content…
Do you think it was justified of doctors of that time period to believe that hysteria was an actual illness?
Johan August Strindberg