[Neurasthenia in Norway 1880-1920]

Neurasthenia was introduced as a diagnostic category in America in 1869, and rapidly spread to Europe. Many have drawn parallels between the historical disease entity of neurasthenia and contemporary conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy and burn-out, but we have little knowledge about the early history of neurasthenia in Norway. On the basis of Norwegian medical journals from the period 1880-1920, we have sought to study the introduction, understanding and application of the concept of neurasthenia in Norwegian medical practice, with particular emphasis on symptoms, causes, treatment, prognosis and prevalence. Results show that the term was probably used in a Norwegian medical journal for the first time in 1876, and during the 1880s there followed an increasing number of reports of people who had been diagnosed with neurasthenia. The condition was defined as a weakness of the nervous system. The symptom picture was extensive, with exhaustion as the main symptom. The causes of the symptoms could not be objectively verified or located, and theories abounded. Overexertion was a common explanation, although traumas, infections, malnutrition, heredity and sexual excesses were also assumed to be causes. The recommended treatment focused on strengthening the nervous system, for example through rest and electrotherapy. The condition was described as typical of its time, as a response to the «Zeitgeist» and modern life.