hysteria

(his-ter′ē-ă )

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(his-tēr′ē-ă)
[ hyster(ic) + -ia ]
An obsolete, now pejorative term used in popular speech to mean a conversion reaction or a widely fluctuating expression of emotions.

NOTE
Currently accepted nomenclature for mental disorders does not include the term hysteria; it is included here for historical reasons.
SEE: mass psychogenic illness; SEE: somatization disorder

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