NEUROSIS VERSUS PSYCHOSIS
Neuroses, together with the psychoses, are the two overarching categories of abnormality. The most important use of the term "neurosis" is to mark off the class ofdisorders that are nonpsychotic. Thus, DSM-III uses "neurosis"
to describe the emotionally painful disorders that leave thinking, perception, and reality testing intact, whereas it uses "psychosis" to denote the sweeping disturbances of perception, thinking, and reality testing.
Neurotic Disorders
An individual is considered to have a neurotic disorder ifhe (1) is emotionally
distressed by enduring or recurrent symptoms, (2) finds the symptoms
alien and wishes to be rid ofthem, (3) can test reality relatively well (unlike
the psychotic), and (4) exhibits behavior that does not grossly violate social
norms, although that behavior may be uncomfortable for others and extremely
painful for the neurotic person.
However, such a disorder is also distinguished
by two features that it must not have: (1) it must not be a
transient reaction to stress, and (2) it must not be the result oforganic damage.
The case of Phillipa provides a clear example of a neurosis:
Phillipa wasa twenty-eight-year-old graduate student who went into therapy to
end a problem she called "noodging." She was intelligent, attractive, personable,
and had no problem at all meeting men and beginning intimate relations with
them. After knowingher for a fewweeksor months, however,man after man fled.
Her problem wassustaining love. Here washer pattern: as sheand her latest friend
spent more and more time together, she would one day fixon some small incident
that she would interpret as a first sign of rejection. So, for example, Tim once
failedto call her as he usually did during his lunch break. Shepanicked. When she
saw Tim that evening, she noodged incessantly: "Do you love me, do you really
love me? I love you so much I can't stand it when you don't call. Did you really
not have a lunch break today, really?" She smothered him with her doubts and
insecurities. This always began a cycle. The man would begin to back off. She
would sense this rejection and noodge him even more. Within a fewdays of such
escalation, the relationship would collapse.
Phillipa's problem has the four features of a neurosis: (I) it is a long-lasting
problem that causes her great distress; (2) she is plagued by her thoughts
of rejection and by her inability to stop noodging, and she has come to therapy
to end them; (3) she is a clear-headed and intelligent individual who has
no trouble at all with reality testing, except when it comes to rejection; (4)
while her thoughts ofrejection torment her and her noodging is self-destructive,
noodging and insecurity do not violate social norms.
A hallmark of neurotic behavior is the discrepancy between how distressed
an individual feels and his awareness that his distress is out of proportion
to reality. The neurotic finds himself extremely anxious and
cannot help it, although he knows the objective circumstances don't warrant
such anxiety. He may find himself depressed, although he recognizes
that objective circumstances are not enough to justify such sadness and pessimism.
He knows he should act, but he finds himself paralyzed. Phillipa
knows she should not noodge when she senses rejection, but she cannot help
it.
Neuroses, together with the psychoses, are the two overarching categories of abnormality. The most important use of the term "neurosis" is to mark off the class ofdisorders that are nonpsychotic. Thus, DSM-III uses "neurosis"
to describe the emotionally painful disorders that leave thinking, perception, and reality testing intact, whereas it uses "psychosis" to denote the sweeping disturbances of perception, thinking, and reality testing.
Neurotic Disorders
An individual is considered to have a neurotic disorder ifhe (1) is emotionally
distressed by enduring or recurrent symptoms, (2) finds the symptoms
alien and wishes to be rid ofthem, (3) can test reality relatively well (unlike
the psychotic), and (4) exhibits behavior that does not grossly violate social
norms, although that behavior may be uncomfortable for others and extremely
painful for the neurotic person.
However, such a disorder is also distinguished
by two features that it must not have: (1) it must not be a
transient reaction to stress, and (2) it must not be the result oforganic damage.
The case of Phillipa provides a clear example of a neurosis:
Phillipa wasa twenty-eight-year-old graduate student who went into therapy to
end a problem she called "noodging." She was intelligent, attractive, personable,
and had no problem at all meeting men and beginning intimate relations with
them. After knowingher for a fewweeksor months, however,man after man fled.
Her problem wassustaining love. Here washer pattern: as sheand her latest friend
spent more and more time together, she would one day fixon some small incident
that she would interpret as a first sign of rejection. So, for example, Tim once
failedto call her as he usually did during his lunch break. Shepanicked. When she
saw Tim that evening, she noodged incessantly: "Do you love me, do you really
love me? I love you so much I can't stand it when you don't call. Did you really
not have a lunch break today, really?" She smothered him with her doubts and
insecurities. This always began a cycle. The man would begin to back off. She
would sense this rejection and noodge him even more. Within a fewdays of such
escalation, the relationship would collapse.
Phillipa's problem has the four features of a neurosis: (I) it is a long-lasting
problem that causes her great distress; (2) she is plagued by her thoughts
of rejection and by her inability to stop noodging, and she has come to therapy
to end them; (3) she is a clear-headed and intelligent individual who has
no trouble at all with reality testing, except when it comes to rejection; (4)
while her thoughts ofrejection torment her and her noodging is self-destructive,
noodging and insecurity do not violate social norms.
A hallmark of neurotic behavior is the discrepancy between how distressed
an individual feels and his awareness that his distress is out of proportion
to reality. The neurotic finds himself extremely anxious and
cannot help it, although he knows the objective circumstances don't warrant
such anxiety. He may find himself depressed, although he recognizes
that objective circumstances are not enough to justify such sadness and pessimism.
He knows he should act, but he finds himself paralyzed. Phillipa
knows she should not noodge when she senses rejection, but she cannot help
it.
Treating Social Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Treatment
Treating Panic Disorder
Agoraphobia Treatment
More at:
http://social-anxiety-treatment-cure.weebly.com/
Of course you know the treatment method I recommend!
http://theliberatormethod.com/Welcome.html
END
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Generalized Anxiety Treatment
Treating Panic Disorder
Agoraphobia Treatment
More at:
http://social-anxiety-treatment-cure.weebly.com/
Of course you know the treatment method I recommend!
http://theliberatormethod.com/Welcome.html
END
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