What is hysteria, and why were so many women diagnosed with it? - Mark S. Micale
351,000 Views
1,389 Questions Answered
TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
Do you ever feel tired? Overwhelmed? Depressed? Do you have headaches, dizziness, cramps, difficulty breathing? From 300 BCE to the 1900s, if you answered yes to any of these questions and you had a uterus, a doctor would likely diagnose you with hysteria. So, where did this medical diagnosis come from? And why did it persist for so long? Mark S. Micale traces the history of the catch-all term.
What would you guess were the attitudes of people at the time- including commanding officers, the patient's families, and the soldiers themselves- toward the malady?
Sign in to answer questionAbout TED-Ed Animations
TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »
Meet The Creators
- Educator Mark S. Micale
- Director Laura Jayne Hodkin
- Narrator Bethany Cutmore-Scott
- Music Phil Brookes
- Sound Designer Phil Brookes
- Vocal Effects Artist Annaliese Broughton
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Produced by Sazia Afrin
- Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
- Editorial Producer Shannon Odell
- Script Editor Stephanie Honchell Smith
- Fact-Checker Charles Wallace
