The term “hysteria” was long used as a catch-all to dismiss the health concerns of women, a “diagnosis” that could see them face invasive surgeries, locked in their bedroom or get admitted to an asylum. The legacy of dismissing women’s health continues.
“Hysteria” derives from the ancient Greek word hystera, which refers to the “womb”. Hippocrates and Plato believed that the uterus would move about the abdominal cavity, colliding with organs and often causing a range of different emotional reactions. This was known as a “wandering womb”.
By the 18th century, “hysteria” had gone from describing physical afflictions to psychological ailments, still applied almost exclusively to women. Magnetic currents, hypnosis and strict bedrest have been prescribed as treatments over the years, the latter of which inspired Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” when described to her by its founder, Silas Weir Mitchell.
The legacy of ignorance of women’s health issues continues into the modern-day. Women with lupus, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and Parkinson’s disease face longer wait times for diagnosis and treatment. More than four boys are diagnosed with autism for every girl diagnosed.
Although we no longer use the term “hysteria”, some have argued that “conversion disorder”, which Harvard writes is the manifestation of anxieties into physical symptoms, holds the same meaning.
Written by Josie
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