Modern faces of hysteria, or some of the dissociative disorders

Abstract

The concept of “hysteria” comes from the Greek word “hystera” (uterus) and dates back to the time of Hippocrates, at least. Modern classifications differ regarding the area encompassed by the concepts of dissociation and conversion differ. Mental health professionals in the United States (DSM-5) use a standard classification of mental disorders codifying dissociative disorders as a distinct class of disorders, but subsumes conversion disorders under “somatoform disorders”. The history of hysteria is as long as the history of mankind. Apparently, both the essence and mechanisms of dissociative disorders remain unchanged despite the fact that many years have passed. According to Owczarek et al., dissociative symptoms are caused by the malfunctioning of defence mechanisms and anxiety. This article provides an overview of the available literature on the etiology and pathogenesis of dissociative disorders as well as disorders such as amnesia, dissociative fugue, trance and possession.

Neurological disease or conversion disorder? Important aspects of differential diagnosis - psychiatric and psychotherapeutic perspective. Case report

“…Zaburzenia te należą do kategorii zaburzeń nerwicowych, w ICD-10 opisywanych w dziale Zaburzenia nerwicowe, zaburzenia związane ze stresem i pod postacią somatyczną, obejmując rozpoznania od F40 do F48. Zaburzenia dysocjacyjne i konwersyjne to kategoria F44 [10] . W zależności od postaci, objawy są kodowane dodatkowym znakiem np.…”

“…These disorders belong to the category of neurotic disorders, in ICD-10 described in section "Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders", including diagnoses from F40 to F48. Dissociative and conversion disorders are category F44 [10]. Depending on the form, the symptoms are coded with an additional number e.g.…”