Neurosis

From ArticleWorld

Neurosis is something that is considered part and parcel of being human – everybody has at least one in some form or another. It is only when the neurosis begins to impinge on normal day to day functioning or causes anxiety to an extent that becomes problematic, that the condition can be considered an illness.

There are many forms neurosis may take, some of which are pyromania, obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety neurosis as well as hysteria. They result in many symptoms such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, behavioural symptoms and cognitive problems.

Definitions

In what has been defined as a poor ability to adapt to one’s environment, neurosis refers to a mental imbalance which is caused by emotional distress or unconscious conflict. Freud defined neurosis as the ego’s inability to cope with conflict between the instinctual demands of the id and the moral stance of the superego. He put it down to the failure of the coping mechanisms employed by the ego. Jung’s analytical psychology maintains that neurosis is the result of the conflict between two psychic processes, one of which must be the unconscious.

Treatment

The treatment of neurosis is not the preserve of one discipline and there is disagreement as to which is the most effective approach. Psychoanalysts, counselors and other such techniques rely mostly on ‘talking therapies’ which, as some studies show, do not seem to be more beneficial than talking to a friend.

Cognitive therapists, on the other hand, focus of replacing negative patterns of thinking and behaviour with more positive, functional ones and so could be expected to do better with those suffering from neurosis. This approach also relies on a conducive communication process between therapist and patient and this may not always be possible.

There is consensus on the need for further research into how to best treat neurosis.