Other names: Conversion disorder; Hysterical neurosis
Neurosis is a condition where negative or obsessive thoughts tend to dominate your mind, making your behavior drastic and irrational, and causing you to struggle with everyday situations. Neurosis may also be called neurotic behavior.
What are the Symptoms of Neurosis?
Neurosis is no longer considered a stand-alone medical condition but comes under an anxiety diagnosis.
Symptoms generally include excessive worry or intense behavior that interferes with a person’s professional, romantic and social life, no matter how minor the problem is.
Examples of neurotic behavior include:
You arrive at the airport 4 hours before departure even though 2 hours would be sufficient, then ask the gate agent every 10 minutes if the departure is on time
You constantly ask a new romantic partner if they are cheating on you then blame yourself for driving them away
Complaining about random aches and pains or illnesses, although to an outsider there appears to be no medical cause
Constantly telling people off for obscure reasons, such as laughing too loudly, walking on your sidewalk, or the way they hang up their washing
Being obsessed about your child’s safety to the point you won’t let them play at the playground or play with friends
Spending more time than necessary to complete a task because you don’t want to make a mistake
Making a controversy about minor incidents
A sense of dread about the future.
Having a neurotic personality can make people more prone to other conditions, called internalizing disorders, such as:
Generalized anxiety disorder
Depression
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Social phobia
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Panic disorder
Antisocial personality disorder.
How is Neurosis Treated?
Neurosis may be treated using behavior modification therapies, or pharmacological treatments or both. Treatments may include:
Helping the person with neurosis to become aware of the repressed impulses, feelings, and traumatic memories that underlie their symptoms
Reconditioning learned responses, through a process known as desensitization
Modeling more effective behavior, so the person learns by example
Discussing thoughts and perceptions that contribute to a patient’s neurotic symptoms, and then replacing them with more realistic interpretations
Mindfulness – thinking more intensely about one's experiences and then changing the way you view the experience
Antidepressants, anti-anxiety, and antipsychotic drugs
Electroconvulsive (shock) therapy.
Drugs used to treat Neurosis
The medications listed below are related to or used in the treatment of this condition.
For ratings, users were asked how effective they found the medicine while considering positive/adverse effects and ease of use (1 = not effective, 10 = most effective).
Activity
Activity is based on recent site visitor activity relative to other medications in the list.
Rx
Prescription only.
OTC
Over-the-counter.
Rx/OTC
Prescription or Over-the-counter.
Off-label
This medication may not be approved by the FDA for the treatment of this condition.
EUA
An Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) allows the FDA to authorize unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products to be used in a declared public health emergency when there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives.
Expanded Access
Expanded Access is a potential pathway for a patient with a serious or immediately life-threatening disease or condition to gain access to an investigational medical product (drug, biologic, or medical device) for treatment outside of clinical trials when no comparable or satisfactory alternative therapy options are available.
Pregnancy Category
A
Adequate and well-controlled studies have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus in the first trimester of pregnancy (and there is no evidence of risk in later trimesters).
B
Animal reproduction studies have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women.
C
Animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in humans, but potential benefits may warrant use in pregnant women despite potential risks.
D
There is positive evidence of human fetal risk based on adverse reaction data from investigational or marketing experience or studies in humans, but potential benefits may warrant use in pregnant women despite potential risks.
X
Studies in animals or humans have demonstrated fetal abnormalities and/or there is positive evidence of human fetal risk based on adverse reaction data from investigational or marketing experience, and the risks involved in use in pregnant women clearly outweigh potential benefits.
N
FDA has not classified the drug.
Controlled Substances Act (CSA) Schedule
M
The drug has multiple schedules. The schedule may depend on the exact dosage form or strength of the medication.
U
CSA Schedule is unknown.
N
Is not subject to the Controlled Substances Act.
1
Has a high potential for abuse. Has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. There is a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.
2
Has a high potential for abuse. Has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions. Abuse may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
3
Has a potential for abuse less than those in schedules 1 and 2. Has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. Abuse may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.
4
Has a low potential for abuse relative to those in schedule 3. It has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. Abuse may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to those in schedule 3.
5
Has a low potential for abuse relative to those in schedule 4. Has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. Abuse may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to those in schedule 4.
Alcohol
X
Interacts with Alcohol.
Further information
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.
