BTW, this is the reply I wrote to a fairly hostile e-mail I received from one such "bright and promising" young neurologist.
Quote:
"In the main the diagnosis of ‘hysteria’ applies to a disorder of the doctor–patient relationship. It is evidence of non-communication, of a mutual misunderstanding ... We are, often, unwilling to tell the full truth or to admit to ignorance ... Evasions, even untruths, on the doctor’s side are among the most powerful and frequently used methods he has for bringing about an efflorescence of ‘hysteria’... The diagnosis of ‘hysteria’ is a disguise for ignorance and a fertile source of clinical error. It is, in fact, not only a delusion but also a snare.”
Eliot Slater, ‘Diagnosis of “Hysteria”’, British Medical Journal, 29 May, 1965, p. 1399.
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And this is taken from a paper written by a conscientious neurologist and psychiatrist.
Quote:
"Its dismissive potential coupled with its negative sociocultural connotations from which physicians are not exempt…offers an expedient solution for a diagnostically confusing patient and provides a release of negative emotions or even punitive actions under the guise of a respectful medical label… Hysteria lends itself most readily to the emotional needs of physicians who have their concepts challenged …sometimes with horrific results"
Kutz, I., Garb, R., and Kuritzky, A., Diagnosis of misdiagnosis: on some of the origins and functions of psychophysical misdiagnosis, Gen Hosp Psychiatry 5 (3), 197, (1983).
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