Neurosis
Historical term for anxiety disorders, now obsolete in diagnosis.
- coined_by
- William Cullen
- field
- Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis
- original_meaning
- Disorders of sense and motion from nervous system affection
- current_status
- No longer used in ICD or DSM diagnoses
- descendant_term
- Neuroticism (Big Five personality trait)
Lore & Background
Cullen used it to describe various nervous disorders and symptoms that could not be explained physiologically. The orders Comata and Spasmi were part of Cullen's class 'Neuroses,' not Pinel's. In the 19th century, treatments for neuroses later included morphine, potassium bromide, and Weir Mitchell's rest cure.
Reader's Guide
Neurosis has evolved from a broad medical category to a term primarily used in Freudian psychoanalysis, referring to mental disorders caused by repressed anxiety. Its historical significance lies in its role in the development of psychoanalysis and the understanding of unconscious processes. However, the term is now obsolete in official psychiatric classifications like the ICD and DSM, replaced by more specific diagnoses. Its descendant, neuroticism, remains a key concept in personality psychology as one of the Big Five traits. The term's history reflects the shift from speculative nervous system theories to evidence-based diagnostic criteria.
Did You Know?
- Neurosis is no longer used in the ICD or DSM for diagnosis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Neurosis originally refer to?
In Cullen's framing, it covered anxiety-related conditions he attributed to a general malaise of the nervous system. The label later became a central grouping in Freudian psychoanalytic theory for disorders such as phobias and obsessions.
Is Neurosis still used as a diagnosis in modern psychiatry?
No. Neither the ICD nor the DSM retains it as an active diagnostic category, so clinicians no longer assign the term to patients in current practice.
What evolved out of the old concept of Neurosis?
The idea survives in a repackaged form as the Big Five personality trait called Neuroticism, which measures a person's general tendency toward emotional instability and negative affect rather than labeling a specific disorder.
Which academic fields is the term Neurosis tied to?
It sits at the crossroads of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, having been most prominently shaped, debated, and eventually retired within Freudian and post-Freudian theoretical frameworks.
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