The syndromes formerly called neurosis

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I have a book here, it is quite old, and it is called "The Neurotic Personality of Our Times".

This book is probably out of print by now. I keep hearing about psychiatrists not using the term "neurotic" anymore.

If so, what term are they are using now? Did Neurosis become something else in this constantly-failing science called
psychology? Or is neurosis now divided into Chronic Anxiety? ADD, OCD, and Asperger Syndrome?

The Wikipedia entry on neurosis has a good history of the use of the term and the diagnoses that have replaced it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurosis

Interestingly, although "neurosis" is no longer used, "neuroticism" is. The definition of it from the Wikipedia entry sounds like almost everybody who ever posted to WP--

"Neuroticism is a fundamental personality trait in the study of psychology. It is an enduring tendency to experience negative emotional states. Individuals who score high on neuroticism are more likely than the average to experience such feelings as anxiety, anger, guilt, and depressed mood.[1] They respond more poorly to environmental stress, and are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. They are often self-conscious and shy, and they may have trouble controlling urges and delaying gratification. Neuroticism is associated with low emotional intelligence, which involves emotional regulation, motivation, and interpersonal skills."

I'm not neurotic. I'm just a gender confused emo goth death metal freak born again christian gun toting hatha yoga pacifist vegan pig farming sex addict.


From Texas.

Also from the wikipedia entry:

It has perhaps been most simply defined as a "poor ability to adapt to one's environment, an inability to change one's life patterns, and the inability to develop a richer, more complex, more satisfying personality."

Compare to Kanner's statement on autism:

The outstanding 'pathognomonic' fundamental disorder is the children's inability to relate themselves in the ordinary way to people and situations from the beginning of life.

Last edited by Poke on 09 Mar 2011, 9:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

No wonder why psychiatrists and psychologists misdiagnose people all the time. That's not different from Manic Depression, or AS, or even ADHD.

Of course, this is more of a personality disorder term (neuroticism)

WOW... just wow!! ! Best post of the year IMHO.

The whole notion of "misdiagnosis" is difficult to apply to neuropsychological conditions, as such conditions are simply generalities without any really distinct borders, apart from those we arbitrarily erect in an effort to differentiate. Bipolar, Asperger's, ADHD, these are not so much specific conditions as they are "trends".

This is why the DSM is shifting to a more spectrum-oriented system of diagnosis.

It's taking NT's a long time to understand us, and it's not just because we're so crappy at communicating I think it's only been fairly recently that people have started to shed their fear of the unknown and actually want to ask pertinent questions and learn more about what makes us tick and how we're all different. Prior to that, anybody outside the norm was set apart and identified with umbrella classifications like "neurotic".