Neurasthenia

Neurasthenia was a term first coined by George Miller Beard in 1869 to describe a condition with symptoms of fatigue, anxiety and pessimism. It was explained as being a result of exhaustion of the central nervous system's energy reserves which Beard attributed to civilisation. In the late 1800s it became a popular diagnosis and led to rest cures.

Related Topics:
George Miller Beard - 1869 - Fatigue - Anxiety - Pessimism - Central nervous system - 1800s

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Physicians at the time frequently associated Neurasthenia with the stresses of urbanization and the pressures placed on the intellectual class by the increasingly competitive business environment. Typically, it was associated with upper class individuals in sedentary employment.

Related Topics:
Urbanization - Upper class

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It was a common diagnosis in World War I - every one of the c.1700 officers processed through the Craiglockhart War Hospital was diagnosed with neurasthenia, for example - but its use declined a decade later.

Related Topics:
World War I - Craiglockhart War Hospital

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The symptoms are similar to what is now termed fibromyalgia.

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