I.

Introduction

Neurosis, or psychoneurosis, term that describes a variety of psychological disorders, originally thought to have their origins in neuronal disturbances, but now regarded as having psychic or emotional origins. Neuroses are characterized by anxiety, personal unhappiness, and maladaptive behaviour. However, they are not usually severe enough to prevent totally a sufferer from continuing to function in society as opposed to psychosis, which usually requires hospitalization. See Mental Disorders.

These terms are no longer clinical definitions. Each neurosis is now classified according to its symptoms. The classifications in the Revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published in 1987, do not include neurosis, although the conditions previously regarded as neuroses are described. These include: