Psychoneurosis (acute)

Jusepe de Ribera
1591, Játiva, Valencia – 1652, Naples, Italy

Jusepe de Ribera, known as La Spagnoletto (the little Spaniard), was a Spanish painter and printmaker, renowned for his dramatic Baroque realism.

♦ A desperate woman ♦

A woman with a white scarf draped over her shoulders runs away, shouting for help.

♦ Diagnosis
Main symptoms: Distorted face, screaming mouth, pulling at her hair.
Secondary symptoms: Young woman, pale, runs away.
Clinical diagnosis: Acute psychoneurosis.

♦ Definition: psychoneurosis
A term used to describe a broad group of clinical disorders, all of which have a functional, non-organic basis and result only in a partial disturbance of the psyche.
All forms of psychoneurosis are characterised by bias, obsession and psychosomatic tension in various organ systems.

♦ Discussion
The psychological factors that can trigger the illness are innumerable. These may include acute events such as a bereavement, financial hardship or an unhappy romantic relationship, or more chronic problems, such as persistent failure at work or domestic unhappiness. Often, however, no clear triggering cause can be identified, or it appears trivial in comparison to the patient’s reaction. In individuals with an unstable psychological background, even a minor setback can lead to a serious breakdown.

Source: Jan Dequeker

Psychoneurosis (acute)

References