Psychasthenia

[Matlock1418]

Having looked at a lot of pension records I had never come across Psychasthenia before - until today when remarkably I came across two men's cases on pension ledger pages from 1919 discharges [one attributed to service whilst the other was considered aggravated by service]

I might presume [without any medical background of my own] that this diagnosis/condition was quite similar to or the same as Neuresthenia [which is more commonly found on such pension and Medical Board records and in wider literature].

I might also presume it is a War Neurosis or a similar condition and used in some cases where "Shell Shock" might perhaps have earlier been used. ???

Just thought I'd mention the condition so it can be found on Forum searches and in hope that my further enlightenment might please ensue.

M

[Matlock1418]

I now note that Pychasthenia is quite contemporaneously mentioned in:

• MEDICAL DISEASES OF THE WAR by ARTHUR FREDERICK HURST, M.A., M.D. (Oxox.), F.R.C.P. 2nd Ed. 1918 [this is a more expansive read pp15-21]
• HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR, BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS, MEDICAL SERVICES - DISEASES of the WAR, VOL. II Edited by Major-General Sir W. G. Macpherson, k.c.m.g.,c.b., ll.d., Major-General Sir W. P. Herringham, k.c.m.g., c.b., Colonel T. R. Elliott, c.b.e., d.s.o., Lieutenant-Colonel A. Balfour, c.b., c.m.g. 1923 [only one lonely mention!]

Both available from Internet Archive http://archive.org 

M

[seaJane]

Direct links to each of these titles can be found under the entries for the authors in my bibliography on Medicine and Healthcare in the Great War, pinned at the top of this sub-forum.

[Matlock1418]

2 minutes ago, seaJane said:

Direct links to each of these titles can be found under the entries for the authors in my bibliography on Medicine and Healthcare in the Great War, pinned at the top of this sub-forum.

Thanks sJ - that will make things easier for others 

M

[alf mcm]

The above is from a previous post on the forum. The entry by @TEW mentions psychasthenia.

Regards,

Alf McM
 

Edited 23 hours ago by alf mcm

[Matlock1418]

9 hours ago, alf mcm said:

The above is from a previous post on the forum. The entry by @TEW mentions psychasthenia.

Ah, recorded there as psychoasthenia so a forum search missed it - but the 'Alf Search Engine' did not. 

M

 

[TEW]

I posted this attachment some time ago.

Taken from Arthur Hurst’s Seale-Hayne Neurological Studies.

TEW 

[Matlock1418]

5 minutes ago, TEW said:

I posted this attachment some time ago.

Taken from Arthur Hurst’s Seale-Hayne Neurological Studies.

Thanks - as I very quickly recall, that's very similar to what is in Arthur Hurst's 1918 Medical Diseases of the War

M

[TEW]

It may well be. I recall there are a handful of cases that appear in both works.

TEW

[PhilB]

It means weakness of the mind. Sounds like a term manufactured to fit a set of newly observed (but not well understood) maladies associated with war service. Like shell shock. 
Unless there are pre-war references to it!

Edited 13 hours ago by PhilB

[alf mcm]

This link shows that the term dates from 1903, so defenitely pre-war.

https://exploringyourmind.com/psychasthenia-fatigue-of-the-soul-or-irrational-suffering/#google_vignette

Regards,

Alf McM

[PhilB]

Thanks Alf. The symptoms are given as:-

• They’re anxious. They also ruminate and have obsessive thoughts.
• They feel a lack of control.
• They’re afraid, insecure, and apprehensive.
• They experience negative thoughts and marked hopelessness.
• They find it difficult to make decisions.
• Their fears and phobias are irrational.
• They find it difficult to regulate their emotions.
• They have a tendency to self-criticism.
• When faced with the world, they feel strange. In fact, they don’t understand it or feel part of it. This leads them to intellectual and social inhibition.
• They’re unable to accept change and are mentally inflexible.
• They feel as if everything is an effort. This means they tend to go around in circles which plunges them into states of great physical exhaustion.
• They suffer from insomnia.
• They experience nervous tics and psychosomatic illnesses.