An older term for emotional disturbances of all kinds other than psychosis. It implies subjective psychological pain or discomfort beyond what is appropriate to the conditions of one’s life. The meaning of the term has changed since it was first introduced into standard nomenclature. In regard to current usage, some clinicians limit the term to its descriptive meaning, neurotic disorder, whereas others include the concept of a specific etiological process. Common neuroses are as follows: a) Anxiety Neurosis: Chronic and persistent apprehension manifested by autonomic hyperactivity (e.g., sweating, palpitations, dizziness), musculoskeletal tension, and irritability. Somatic symptoms may be prominent. b) Depersonalization Neurosis: Feelings of unreality and of estrangement from the self, body, or surroundings. Different from the process of depersonalization, which may be a manifestation of anxiety or of another mental disorder. c) Depressive Neurosis: An outmoded term for excessive reaction of depression due to an internal conflict or to an identifiable event such as loss of a loved one or of a cherished possession. d) Hysterical Neurosis, Conversion Type: Disorders of the special senses or the voluntary nervous system, such as blindness, deafness, anesthesia, paresthesia, pain, paralysis, and impaired muscle coordination for which no organic cause is found. A patient with this disorder may manifest la belle indifference in regard to the symptoms, which may actually provide secondary gain by winning the patient sympathy or relief from unpleasant responsibilities. e) Hysterical Neurosis, Dissociative Type: Alterations in the state of consciousness or in identity, producing symptoms such as amnesia. f) Obsessive-Compulsive Neurosis: Persistent intrusion of unwanted and uncontrollable ego-dystonic thoughts, urges, or actions. The thoughts may consist of single words, ruminations, or trains of thought that are seen as nonsensical. The actions may vary from simple movements to complex rituals, such as repeated hand washing. g) Phobic Neurosis: An intense fear of an object or a situation that the person consciously recognizes as harmless. Apprehension may be experienced as faintness, fatigue, palpitations, perspiration, nausea, tremor, and even panic.
A form of compulsive, ineffective behavior of which the person is aware but is unable to control.
A disorder of the personality in which a person experiences obsessive negative emotions towards someone or something, e.g. fear of empty spaces or jealousy of a sibling.
Inefficient way of thinking or behaving, that may be manifested by depression, anxiety, defense mechanisms, compulsion, phobias, or obsessions and that produces psychological pain or discomfort. The perception of reality is usually not impaired, and behavior remains within socially accepted limits.
Psychiatric disorder that affects coping which results in maladaptive behaviors but does not prevent functioning.
A term formerly used to describe mental disorders characterized by anxiety and avoidance. Typically, these disorders involve distressing symptoms, but the individual lives and functions normally and does not behave in a grotesque way. The person lacks a physical illness, such as brain damage, that causes the anxiety or avoidance.
A mental illness in which insight is retained but there is a maladaptive way of behaving or thinking that causes suffering (compare psychosis). The classification of neuroses is based on the symptoms, which may be a pathologically severe emotional state, as in anxiety state or depression; distressing behavior and thoughts, as in phobias or obsessions; or physical complaints, as in hysteria or hypochondria. In practice the distinction between neurosis and psychosis is often blurred, as the amount of insight retained is very variable. Neurotic symptoms are occasionally the result of overwhelming stress (e.g. in soldiers in battle), but usually represent a complex interaction between stresses and a vulnerable personality.
ln traditional (e.g., Freudian) psychiatry, an unconscious conflict that produces anxiety and other symptoms and leads to maladaptive use of defense mechanisms.
A psychiatric diagnostic category no longer in use that refers to an anxiety or depression condition in which there is adequate reality testing.
A historical term used for various psychiatric disorders where patients maintained a connection with reality (as opposed to psychosis). Conditions categorized as neurotic encompassed mild types of depression, anxiety, hypochondriasis, and dissociative disorders.
Neurosis refers to a broad set of emotional disturbances not attributed to physical damage in the nervous system, leading to some degree of personality disarray. These conditions are marked by emotions like anxiety or fear, or by obsessions focused on bodily functions or organs. A common thread among many with neurosis is a challenge in establishing regular interpersonal relationships, which might have roots deep in childhood. Often, there’s a suppressed thought or desire linked to a past event that underpins the anxious state and its manifestations. Regrettably, those unfamiliar might mistake neurosis for malingering, which is entirely different. While all neuroses stem from similar psychological disruptions, they’re categorized due to the specific presentations seen in various patients. This condition is also termed psychoneurosis.