title: Observations on the evolution of the hysterical symptomatology.
abstract: A retrospective study of the records of 17,571 psychiatric patients who attended the out-patients department of Eginition Hospital in Athens during three two-year periods (1948-50, 1958-60 and 1969-71) revealed a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of patients diagnosed as suffering from hysteria, a statistically significant decrease in the relative frequency of patients with hysterical fits and with mental conversion symptoms, and a statistically significant increase in the relative frequency of patients with mixed conversion symptoms. The findings confirm the notion that hysteria is still a 'woman's disease', although a statistically significant increase in male participation was noted. The significance of the above findings for the understanding of certain aspects of hysteria is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003291:Conversion Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D009105:Dissociative Identity Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007046:Hysteria / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012744:Sex Ratio; D012922:Social Change; D012924:Social Conditions; D013009:Somnambulism / Q000453:epidemiology