Neurosis: aspects of its conceptual development in the nineteenth century

Abstract

The concept of `neurosis' does not have a very high priority in the history of psychiatry. The very few studies of the historical development of the concept are discussed, especially that of Pienero. The relations between psychiatry and neurology in the nineteenth century are described to provide a background for the constitution of the concept; its relationships to `psychic shock' and `psychic paralysis' are also analysed.