2018/02/26 by A. D. Macleod · 1 citation
Medicine · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Alternative medicine #Circumstantial evidence #Consciousness #Etiology #Historical Psychiatry and Medical Practices #History #Hypnosis #Hysteria #Medicine #Neurology and Historical Studies #Neuroscience #Psychiatry #Psychoanalysis #Psychology #Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments #Psychotherapist #Subject (documents)
paper · doi:10.1177/0957154x18757338
openalex publication_date 2018/02/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Case reports of the abrupt recovery of hysterical disorders during World War I (1914-18), though undoubtedly subject to publication bias, raise both aetiological and treatment issues regarding pseudo-neurological conversion symptoms. Published clinical anecdotes report circumstantial, psychotherapeutic, hypnotic, persuasive (and coercive) methods seemingly inducing recovery, and also responses to fright and alterations of consciousness. The ethics of modern medical practice would not allow many of these techniques, which were reported to be effective, even in the chronic cases.