Hysteria is a mental disorder arising from intense anxiety. It is characterized by a lack of control over acts and emotions, and by sudden seizures of unconsciousness with emotional outbursts. It is often the result of repressed conflicts within the person. This disease appears in both sexes, but it is far more common in young women between fourteen and twenty five years of age. One of the primary reasons cited for women in this age group experiencing traces of hysteria is the fact that their bodies undergo rapid changes during the child bearing period, causing a number of hormonal imbalances that set off these instances of hysteria. When someone is experiencing a bout of hysteria, it is necessary that people around do not panic, and remain calm themselves. A person who gets hysterical would usually cause others to panic, further worsening the situation. Outbursts of hysteria are not uncommon, but it is necessary to identify the stimulant that is causing the hysteria before attempting to assist the person to overcome his or her fears.
The symptoms of hysteria include heaviness in the limbs, severe cramps, a strong feeling of ascending abdominal constriction, continual sighing, difficulty in breathing, constriction in the chest, palpitations, feeling of a foreign body lodged in the throat, swelling of the neck and of the jugular veins, suffocation, headache, clenched teeth, and generalized and voluntary tensing of muscles of locomotion. There are, however, various other symptoms of hysteria, such as an inexplicable urge to perform rigorous activities that will help to let off steam. However, when one tries to perform these activities, such as shouting, one experiences an inability to do so, because of a shut down of the muscular-skeletal system caused by the hysteria.
In severe cases, additional symptoms are noticeable; these may include wild and painful cries, incomplete loss of consciousness, an enormously swollen neck, violent and tumultuous heartbeats, involuntary locomotor muscle contraction, frightening generalized convulsions, and violent movement. A prominence of the veins in the neck area is a frequent occurrence when one experiences hysteria. Although you may want to cry out in despair, it is often felt that you are unable to do so, causing you further anxiety and fear that do not help in any way.
The physical symptoms include a weakness of the will, a craving for love and sympathy, and a tendency towards emotional instability. Hysterical trances may last for days or weeks. A patient in a trance may appear to be in a deep sleep, but the muscles are not usually relaxed. Emotional instability and a weakness of the will can become extremely dangerous for persons suffering from hysteria disease, because it causes them to have rash and imbalanced thoughts that are depressive. These thoughts of depression cause them to take drastic steps that cannot be corrected.
The most common causes of hysteria are sexual repression, perverted habits of thought, and idleness. Heredity plays an important part in its causation. A nervous family background and faulty emotional training when young are predisposing causes. The emotional situations may be mental, strain, stress, fear, worry, depression, traumatism, masturbation, and prolonged sickness. Working on ways and methods of relieving stress from the body is an important part of life today. The pressures of work are usually carried home, where life is made miserable for everyone in the household. Being able to deal with your stress is extremely beneficial in dealing with hysteria and other anxiety caused conditions. Anxiety being the primary among all the causes of hysteria, it is advisable that people who are probably suffering from the condition be advised to avoid highly stressful situations. Hysteria diagnosis cannot be made by just looking at a person who is having a hysterical moment, but would require definite medical testing to be carried out before a diagnosis is pronounced.
The black berry fruit is considered an effective home remedy for hysteria. Three kilograms of this fruit and a handful of salt should be put in a jug filled with water.The jug should be kept in the sun for a week. A women suffering from hysteria should take 300 gm of these fruits on an empty stomach, and drink a cup of water from the jug. The day she starts this treatment, 3 Kg more of these fruits, mixed with a handful of salt, should be kept in another jug filled with water, so that when the contents of the first jug are finished, the contents of the other will be ready for use. This treatment should be continued for two weeks. There are various other well recommended remedies that have been advised for the treatment for hysteria.
Honey is regarded as another effective remedy for hysteria. It is advisable to take one tablespoon of honey daily. Honey breaks down the triglycerides that cause blockages in the valves of the heart, thereby avoiding minimizing or helping prevent the occurrence of high blood pressure. Because the flow of blood through the heart is unrestricted, blood pressure remains normal and hysteria can be avoided, in circumstances where difficult situations arise.
Bottle gourd is useful as an external application in hysteria. Macerated fresh pulp of this vegetable should be applied over the head of the patient in the treatment of this disease. Bottle gourd has a reputation for being extremely soothing and cooling, as and is therefore used as an external application in the treatment of hysteria. Applying a macerated pulp of bottle gourd on the head will help in soothing and keeping the person calm.
Lettuce is considered valuable in this disease. A cup of fresh juice of lettuce, mixed with a teaspoon of Indian gooseberry (indian gooseberry) juice, should be given every day in the morning for a month, as a medicine in the treatment of hysteria. While the consumption of lettuce and fresh vegetables may have no direct bearing on the condition itself, consuming lettuce and fresh vegetables can help cleanse the body of any toxins that could be causing health problems further magnifying problems related to hysteria.
The herb rauwolfia is very useful for hysteria. One gram of the powdered root should be administered with one cup of milk in the morning as well as in the evening. Treatment should be continued till a complete cure has been obtained. Herbal treatment of hysteria is another effective method of dealing with anxiety problems. Apart from the fact that they contain no chemical content, they have negligible side effects, as compared to drugs that are manufactured for the treatment of hysteria.
Asafoetida has also proved beneficial in the treatment of this disease. Smelling this gum prevents hysterical attacks. If taken orally, the daily dosage should be from 0.5 to 1.0 gm. An emulsion made up of 2 gm of the gum with 120 ml of water is a valuable enema in hysteria, when the patient resists taking the gum orally. Asafoetida is also known to have very relaxing properties, and is therefore recommended for use in treatment of hysteria. To carry out female hysteria treatment, one needs to assess the cause of the hysteria. Once treatment commences the individuals medical condition needs to be monitored carefully before any long term plan is formulated. When women are expecting children, the hormonal imbalance in the body can cause a lot of instability in the emotional composition, causing them to have frequent attacks of hysteria and depression, which is not good for the unborn child.
In most cases of hysteria, it is desirable for patients to start the treatment by adopting an all-fruit diet for several days, taking three meals a day of juicy fruits such as oranges, apples, grapes, grapefruit, papayas, and pineapples. Fruit and vegetable juices help to detoxify and relax the body completely, thereby relieving you of any mental stress that you may be experiencing.
This may be followed by an exclusive milk diet for about a month. The milk diet will help to build better blood and nourish the nerves. If the full milk diet is not convenient, a diet of milk and fruits may be adopted. The patient may, thereafter, gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables, and fruits. A dry fruit and milk diet is one that provides an ample amount of nutrition and sustenance, allowing a further boost of the immune system and helping in staying healthy. A healthy body allows for peace of mind and will thus avoid any implication of hysteria.
The patient should avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, tobacco, white sugar and white flour, and products made from them. Tea, coffee and a number of aerated soft drinks contain caffeine that causes a significant increase in the energy levels. Because of the fact that a person suffering from hysteria could possibly cause himself further complications through the consumption of caffeine based products, it is advisable that they be avoided.
The patient should be taught self-control and educated in the right habits of thinking. Her mind must be drawn away from herself by some means. Proper sex education should be provided and a married patient should be taught to enjoy a normal sexual relationship. Sexual relaxation is also a widely used and well recommended method of relieving stress. Female hysteria treatment through stimulating massages is no longer a commonplace practice, though a large number of women stimulate themselves to orgasm in order to relieve any sexual stress that may be a possible cause for hysteria. Water pressure being directed at the genitals was another method used in ancient times, to relieve women of stress and thereby avoid a disorder of hysteria. Subsequently, vibrators and other mechanical devices were used to stimulate women and cure them of hysteria.
Exercise and outdoor games are also important. They take the mind away from self and induce cheerfulness. Exercise and outdoor games on a frequent basis are well advised for hysteria cure. The body remains fit and blood pressure levels are controlled by the exercise that has been undertaken, thereby ensuring that no panic attacks are suffered.
Yogasanas which are useful in hysteria are bhujangasana, shalabhasana, matsyasana, dhanurasana, halasana, paschimottanasana, yogamudra, and shavasana. Weak patients, who are not able to do much active exercise, may be given a massage three or four times a week. Yoga is a widely used practice for emotional and physical relaxation. Because the mind and body work together, there is an overall feeling of well being that is obtained through the art of yoga. Different levels of the art require performing different and more complex exercises that give importance to every part of the body, making one feel relaxed and stress free. Treatment of the hysteria disorder does not necessarily include mounting expenses on medical treatments and medications that could possibly worsen the condition. Healthy living, combined with consumption of the correct foods, a good amount of exercise and stress relieving activities will play an important role in treating hysteria. Expressing yourself to a partner or a friend is another extremely important activity when it comes to treating hysteria and dealing with stressful situations.