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Hysteria. Pretending to be sick and its consequences
1Department of Psychological Medicine, Women and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, Australia. jureidinij@wch.sa.gov.au
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
|October 9, 2002
Summary
Hysteria may be better understood not as an illness, but as a form of pretending within the medical system. This perspective reframes the condition, moving beyond a lack of biomedical explanation to explore its transactional nature.
Area of Science:
- Medical Humanities
- Psychology
- Sociology of Health
Background:
- Hysteria lacks a clear biomedical explanation, hindering understanding.
- The medical definition of hysteria as 'sickness without disease' presents a paradox.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an alternative conceptualization of hysteria.
- To explore hysteria as a form of 'pretending' within medical interactions.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of hysteria.
- Drawing parallels between medical transactions and the concept of 'pretend' from play theory.
- Examining reasons for sickness as a focus for pretending.
Main Results:
- Hysteria can be viewed as a transaction within the medical system, akin to acting or belief.
- Sickness is an attractive focus for pretending due to various factors.
- Enactments of sickness can be collectively scripted by involved individuals.
Conclusions:
- Reconceptualizing hysteria as 'pretending' offers a new framework for understanding.
- This perspective moves beyond the limitations of biomedical explanations.
- The collaborative and consequential nature of hysterical enactments is highlighted.