Hysteria Today

<p>Hysteria one of the most diagnosed conditions in human history is also one of the most problematic. Can it even be said to exist at all? Since the earliest medical texts people have had something to say about 'feminine complaints'. Over the centuries theorisations of the root causes have lurched from the physiological to the psychological to the socio-political. Thanks to its dual association with femininity and with fakery the notion of hysteria inevitably provokes questions about women men sex bodies minds culture happiness and unhappiness. To some it may seem extraordinary that such a contested diagnosis could continue to merit any mention whatsoever.<em> Hysteria Today</em> is a collection of essays whose purpose is to reopen the case for hysteria and to see what relevance if any the term may have within contemporary clinical practice.</p>