By Madelyn Ilarraza
You’ve definitely heard the term “female hysteria” used at some point in your life. Whether it was used as an insult or something to describe an unorthodox woman, the underlying meaning remains constant: female hysteria refers to women whose behavior challenges men’s. The term originates from the Greek word “hysteria” which means “womb” or “uterus” depending on the translator. The prefix “hyster” is used in a variety of medical terms which all pertain to the female body. For example, a hysterectomy is a surgical procedure that removes a woman’s uterus.Â
Hysteria was a “medical condition” found in women who behaved outside of the social norm. Treatments included a hysterectomy as it was believed that the disease was caused by the uterus. Women who were diagnosed with hysteria had symptoms of pain and anxiety which were overlooked and dismissed by doctors. This is still common today due to medical misogyny. Women are less likely to receive painkillers and anesthesia compared to men during the same procedures. They also don’t receive local anesthesia for IUD insertions, which continues to be a popular concern for women’s sexual health.Â
Although hysteria is now widely agreed to be an outdated condition, is there a modern equivalent? Women are overdiagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). For an industry that famously ignores women’s symptoms and underdiagnoses them with other mental and physical disorders, nearly three quarters of people diagnosed with BPD are women. Many women diagnosed with BPD are often described as “hysterical.” BPD, which is often confused with Bipolar Disorder, is a mental condition mainly characterized by unregulated emotions. Women are seen as overly emotional, and grief caused by a traumatic event like losing a loved one, has been linked to BPD. Normal reactions to the hardships of life are seen as overreactions in women, which lead to these diagnoses.Â
That isn’t to say that BPD is an invalid disorder, but along with medical misogyny, it can be used as a way to control or subdue women who are just trying to get through life. For centuries, women, especially women of color, have been disproportionately harmed by the medical industry in a variety of different ways. From lobotomies to electroshock therapy, and even forced sterilization and impregnation, women have been oppressed in the most cruel ways, only to have their pain ignored. Female hysteria was just another way to justify this violence against women, and many people seem to forget just how badly this has impacted how women are viewed in the medical industry.Â
We still have a long way to go, and within the past few months, we have taken several steps backward. Women have a right to be heard and to have our pain treated, and we should be able to put trust in an industry that swore to heal us instead of living in fear of not being taken seriously or being ignored.