Neurasthenia

Jump to navigation Jump to search


WikiDoc Resources for Neurasthenia

Articles

Most recent articles on Neurasthenia

Most cited articles on Neurasthenia

Review articles on Neurasthenia

Articles on Neurasthenia in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Neurasthenia

Images of Neurasthenia

Photos of Neurasthenia

Podcasts & MP3s on Neurasthenia

Videos on Neurasthenia

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Neurasthenia

Bandolier on Neurasthenia

TRIP on Neurasthenia

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Neurasthenia at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Neurasthenia

Clinical Trials on Neurasthenia at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Neurasthenia

NICE Guidance on Neurasthenia

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Neurasthenia

CDC on Neurasthenia

Books

Books on Neurasthenia

News

Neurasthenia in the news

Be alerted to news on Neurasthenia

News trends on Neurasthenia

Commentary

Blogs on Neurasthenia

Definitions

Definitions of Neurasthenia

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Neurasthenia

Discussion groups on Neurasthenia

Patient Handouts on Neurasthenia

Directions to Hospitals Treating Neurasthenia

Risk calculators and risk factors for Neurasthenia

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Neurasthenia

Causes & Risk Factors for Neurasthenia

Diagnostic studies for Neurasthenia

Treatment of Neurasthenia

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Neurasthenia

International

Neurasthenia en Espanol

Neurasthenia en Francais

Business

Neurasthenia in the Marketplace

Patents on Neurasthenia

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Neurasthenia

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Neurasthenia was a term first coined by George Miller Beard in 1869. Beard's definition of "neurasthenia" described a condition with symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, headache, impotence, neuralgia and depression.

Americans were supposed to be particularly prone to neurasthenia, which resulted in the nickname "Americanitis" (popularized by William James).

Symptoms

It was explained as being a result of exhaustion of the central nervous system's energy reserves, which Beard attributed to civilization. Physicians in the Beard school of thought associated neurasthenia with the stresses of urbanization and the pressures placed on the intellectual class by the increasingly competitive business environment. Typically, it was associated with upper class individuals in sedentary employment.

Treatment

Beard, with his partner A.D. Rockwell, advocated first electrotherapy and then increasingly experimental treatments for people with neurasthenia, a position that was controversial. An 1868 review posited that Beard's and Rockwell's grasp of the scientific method was suspect and did not believe their claims to be warranted.

William James was diagnosed with neurasthenia, and was quoted as saying, "I take it that no man is educated who has never dallied with the thought of suicide." (Townsend, 1996).

Diagnosis

In the late 1800s, neurasthenia became a "popular" diagnosis, expanding to include such symptoms as weakness, dizziness and fainting, and a common treatment was the rest cure, especially for women, who were the gender primarily diagnosed with this condition at that time. Virginia Woolf was known to have been forced to undergo rest cures, which she describes in her book On Being Ill. In literature, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's protagonist in The Yellow Wallpaper also rebels against her rest cure. Marcel Proust was said to suffer from neurasthenia. To capitalize on this epidemic, the Rexall drug company introduced a medication called 'Americanitis Elixir' which claimed to be a soother for any bouts related to Neurasthenia.

Skepticism

In 1895, Sigmund Freud reviewed electrotherapy and declared it a "pretense treatment." He highlighted the example of Elizabeth von R's note that "the stronger these were the more they seemed to push her own pains into the background,". See also placebo effect.

Nevertheless, neurasthenia was a common diagnosis in World War I - for example, every one of the c.1700 officers processed through the Craiglockhart War Hospital was diagnosed with neurasthenia - but its use declined a decade later.

Today

The modern view holds that the main problem with the neurasthenia diagnosis was that it attempted to group together a wide variety of cases. In recent years, Richard M. Fogoros has posited that perhaps "neurasthenia" was a word that could include some psychiatric conditions, but more importantly, many physiological conditions marginally more understood by the medical community, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and various forms of dysautonomia. He emphasizes that the majority of patients who would have once been diagnosed with neurasthenia have conditions that are "real, honest-to-goodness physiologic (as opposed to psychologic) disorders... and while they can make anybody crazy, they are not caused by craziness." (see reference, below)

See also

References

de:Neurasthenie eo:Neŭrastenio nl:Neurasthenie Template:WikiDoc Sources