What is Neurosis:
A neurosis is known as partial disorder of the functional aspects of an individual, associated above all with emotional or psychological conflicts. Unlike psychosis, it is not accompanied by visible organic changes.
The term neurosis It was introduced by the Scottish doctor Willian Cullen in 1769. The word, as such, comes from the Latin νεῦρον (neûron), which means ‘nerve’, and -σις (-sis), a prefix used in medicine to indicate ‘disease’.
In psychology, the term neurosis was used in reference to a disease of a nervous nature, characterized by the adaptation difficulties presented by the individual in different situations.
Thus, mental disorders characterized by the presence of a high level of anguish and anxiety, with different non-psychotic manifestations, were called neuroses.
In these disorders, both rational thinking and individual functioning were distorted, but without evidence of organic damage.
The individual, therefore, maintained the ability to work, study, and become emotionally involved with reality.
Thus, neurosis referred to a range of mental disorders, such as anxiety neurosis, obsessive-compulsive neurosis, phobic neurosis, hysterical neurosis, hypochondriac neurosis, depressive neurosis, among others.
Currently, however, the World Health Organization (WHO) and American Psychiatric Society They prefer to opt for the more general term disordersrather neurosis.
See also Disorder.
Neurosis according to Sigmund Freud
For Sigmund Freud, neurosis manifests itself in individuals in the form of an enormous amount of anxiety. The individual suffers and feels fear for his or her present and future, developing phobias and manias. All this comes with constant anxiety.
Symptoms of neurosis
Among the general symptoms of neurosis the following are mentioned:
Depression: the individual presents a melancholic, sad mood; Pessimistic thoughts, suffering and death abound in him.
Cyclothymia: It can be seen as a bipolar disorder, in which the individual has a high level of energy, activity, restlessness, irritability. It can be the product of drug addiction, specifically cocaine, and sleeping medications.
Phobias: intense fear of situations or objects that cause anxiety
Obsession: the individual has involuntary, meaningless and recurring thoughts. In addition, he presents obsessive, perfectionist thoughts, and doubts his own actions.
Distortion in rational thinking: It occurs in those people who suffer from low self-esteem and are very demanding of themselves.
Celotype: characterized by compulsive jealousy. The individual looks for irrational acts that allow him to obtain evidence that he is being deceived.
Somatoform disorders: The individual states that he or she suffers from physical symptoms, such as pain, inflammation, weakness, injuries, among others, although the doctor cannot corroborate this.
Dissociative disorders: are all those pathological conditions that can lead the individual to suffer from memory, consciousness, identity or perception failures.
Personality disorders: personality anomalies at an emotional, motivational or social level.
Adaptive disorders: problems in the person’s normal life in being able to adapt to their lifestyle or environment.
Types of neuroses
Obsessive neurosis
Obsessive neurosis, also known as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), is an anxiety disorder.
It is characterized by recurrent and persistent thoughts, which lead the individual to experience restlessness, apprehension, fear or worry.
See also Obsession.
hysterical neurosis
Hysterical neurosis is a condition that involves the loss of one or more bodily functions: blindness, paralysis, inability to speak, as well as other nervous system (neurological) symptoms that cannot be explained by medical evaluation. It can be caused by a psychological conflict.
Depressive neurosis
Depressive neurosis is seen as a state of mind in which the individual has a loss of interest or pleasure in all or almost all the activities they practice in their daily life.
The individual who suffers from it feels deep, prolonged and excessive sadness caused by some external circumstance.
anxiety neurosis
Anxiety neurosis is characterized by the presence of constant fear for which the reason is unknown.
This type of neurosis manifests itself in a moderate way, but can lead to states of deep anxiety, characterized by great tension.
anxiety neurosis
Anxiety neurosis is characterized by a feeling of frustration and fear, and sometimes despair.
It manifests itself when the individual experiences difficulties in adapting to the different tests or situations that life presents.
Phobic neurosis
Phobic neurosis, also called anxiety hysteria by Freud, is characterized by the appearance in the individual of an irrational fear of certain people, objects, situations or acts.
Treatment of neurosis
The treatment of neurosis must be carried out under the supervision of doctors, psychologists and other specialists in the field.
Each neurosis can have its own treatment, which can be psychotherapy, group, family, or individual therapies.
Neurosis and psychosis
Neurosis and psychosis are different psychological disorders. Psychosis, for example, is a mental disorder of organic or emotional origin, in which the ability to think, communicate, interpret reality or behave appropriately can be considerably affected, and substantially interfere with the individual’s normal life.
Neurosis, on the other hand, involves the presence of difficulties on the part of the individual in dealing with certain situations, things or ideas. Unlike psychosis, neurosis does not have an organic origin.
See also Psychosis.