Resource Tag: HYSTERICAL PERSONALITY

This case history notes that suicide was almost a way of life for Anne Sexton (1928-1974), an acclaimed US poet. There were many attempts with medication. Her suicide was with carbon monoxide. Sexton remained in psychotherapy from 1956 to 1974, was hospitalized on many occasions, was depressed, a substance abuser, promiscuous, prone to trances & […]

This article describes U.S. comedian Freddie Prinze’s life and his suicide. Prinze was a successful comedian who seemed to have everything he desired when he killed himself at the age of 22. In fact, he was addicted to drugs, and had longstanding problems with insecurity and personal relationships. The author asserts Prinze may have developed […]

This paper discusses psychopathology among Eskimos of Greenland & North America in a socio-cultural context. The author explores the relationship between psychiatric symptoms, personality & culture. He questions why Eskimos are more likely to display hysterical excitement rather than depression & paranoia. Child rearing, early socialization, social & economic life, religious beliefs, & the role […]

The author claims that the secluded, inescapable world of the Guyana compound was a final phase of a calculated plan designed by Jones to achieve “mass hypnosis at a social level”, a process of group regression that led to a full acceptance of the leader’s delusional system. His carefully selected followers were highly dissatisfied with […]

Also reprinted in What We Know About Suicidal Behavior and How to Treat It, ed. by S Lesse (Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc., 1988) p.133-156

The author presents the case history of a 29 year old unmarried female who repeatedly mutilated her tongue by biting. Her hysterical symptoms are explained in psychoanalytical terms. Numerous & varied attempts at treatment were generally unsuccessful. 28 ref. (NBB)

Letter to the Editor

Although suicide attempts occur often in Briquet’s syndrome (hysteria), completed suicides are rare; the case described, that of a 37-yr-old woman, is believed to be the 1st example of a successful suicide by a Briquet patient that was diagnosed before death. The patient’s history, which included drug abuse, many physical complaints & a 2 week […]

Literature concerning religious conversions is reviewed. 4 case histories of depressive illness followed by religious conversion are presented. In 2 obsessive-compulsive patients, the religious experience failed to resolve the depression & both ended in suicide. The author suggests that religious conversion strengthens depression in hysterical persons, but in some cases fails to resolve obsessive isolation […]

Presents a detailed case report of female genital self-mutilation associated with dysorexia (anorexia & bulimia) & hysterical personality. Supports the suggestion in recent literature that these clinical features may comprise a discrete syndrome. The usefulness of considering this triad as a syndrome is illustrated by the recall of 2 previous cases who appeared to fulfill […]

Seventeen patients with hysterical fits, previously diagnosed and treated by neurologists as epileptics, were distinguished from a matched control group of 17 epileptics by 5 factors: a family history and personal history of psychiatric disorder, attempted suicide, sexual maladjustment, and a current affective syndrome.

A case of hysterical amnesia is presented together with psychometric, psychophysiological and behavioral data. In the early stages of the amnesia the patient appeared preoccupied with death which was stress-related as measured by Dektor Psychological Stress Evaluator. Any attempt to reduce the amnesia made the patient become markedly suicidal. The findings are interpreted as supporting […]

A 10-year-old boy had a prominent conversion symptom that obscured a major depressive episode as defined by DSM-III. After the conversion symptom was removed with amobarbital, his depressive symptoms became more obvious and subsequently improved with imipramine treatment.

Letter to the Editor

Young women who had attempted suicide did not score in a more hysterical manner than women in a comparison group when assessed by the Hysteroid-Obsessoid Questionnaire. Those who made suicide attempts resulting in little physical harm more often demonstrated hysterical traits than those whose attempt involved a serious threat to life. However, even in those […]