Neurasthenia

Neurasthenia is a condition characterized by emotional disturbance (depression, anxiety, etc.), lack of mental and physical energy, headache, dizziness, fainting, and irritability. It came from the Latin words “neuro” which translates to “nerves” and “asthenia” which means “weakness”. It was also previously termed as “Americanitis” as many Americans were prone to have this condition. In Chinese medicine, neurasthenia is translated as “shenjing shuairuo”. This term was first utilized in 1829 and it became a popular diagnosis from 1869; however, it is no longer included in the DSM -5 and the ICD-11. Contemporary medical opinion generally dismisses this type of diagnosis. Neurasthenia was explained as caused by modern civilization; the stress of urbanization uses up energy reserves. The most common treatment was rest.