Q1: Beware of simply substituting labels; what were thought to be
natural fracture points between classes of phenomena fifty years ago
are not so regarded now.
Q2: Or possibly 'iatrogenic' (a condition created or made worse by a
treatment). There is always a third possibility beyond 'made better'
and 'no effect'.
On Dec 3, 2009, at 3:13 PM, Lilienfeld, Scott O wrote:
Hi Annette - Q1 is complicated, and doesn't have a clear-cut
answer, largely because hysteria was such a remarkably broad
category. But by and large, though, what was then called
"hysteria" probably largely subsumes what are now somatoform
disorders (especially somatization disorder and conversion
disorder) and dissociative disorders (e.g., dissociative amnesia,
dissociative fugue, dissociative identity disorder, once called
multiple personality disorder) - which were split into separate
categories in 1980 in DSM-III (a decision that is still debated).
For a discussion, see Hyler and Spitzer (1978):
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/135/12/1500
Answer to Q2 is indeterminate, but the best informed guess is
probably "None."
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, December 03, 2009 3:32 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: [tips] Help with hysteria
One of the students in my intro psych course is writing a paper for
her English class on hysteria.
I am not a clinician and I have a very limited ability to answer
her questions she asked me. I could probably google some
information--but then so could she. I know wikipedia has a good
treatise.
Specifically, she'd like to know two things:
(1) what do we now label the disorders that used to be called
hysteria.
(2) what effect did the "old-fashioned" treatment for hysteria have
on those disorders.
Well, I know a little bit such as these are now pretty much
subsumed by somatoform disorders and I have a sense that the
treatments were quite ineffective back in the day when the
diagnosis of hysteria was quite in vogue, such as complete sensory
deprivation, isolation, a slap in the face, or cold water in the
face, probaby just make the person more hysterical. Then along came
psychoanalysis. Not sure how much that helped other than for
factors common to most therapeutic interventions that are at least
"kindly".
So any specific guidance to sources would be appreciated.
Paul Brandon
Emeritus Professor of Psychology
Minnesota State University, Mankato
[email protected]
---
To make changes to your subscription contact:
Bill Southerly ([email protected])
