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What is hysteria, and why were so many women diagnosed with it?

A diagnosis of women’s suffering

What is hysteria, and why were so many women diagnosed with it?
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StarsInsider
15/12/2025 12:00 ‧ 2 hours ago | StarsInsider

HEALTH

History

Do you often find yourself feeling tired? Overwhelmed? Or depressed? Do you frequently experience headaches, cramps, dizziness, and difficulty breathing? If you were a woman living between 300 BCE and the mid-1900s, and you answered “yes” to these questions, then a doctor would have likely diagnosed you with hysteria!

Hysteria has had a dogged history in the medical community, and despite existing for more than two millennia, it is now considered outdated. But what was this medical diagnosis, exactly? And why did it endure for so long? Click on to find out.

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