Hysteria
Rock band title
Hysteria is a state of uncontrolled emotional excess—panic, fear, or excitement that spreads through a group or overwhelms an individual: mass hysteria, The announcement sparked hysteria among fans.
Historically, hysteria was a medical diagnosis applied almost exclusively to women, attributed to dysfunction of the uterus (Greek *hystera*).
That diagnosis is now discredited, but the word retains gendered overtones—women's emotional responses are more likely to be dismissed as hysterical than men's.
Uncontrollable sudden fear
- frenzyViolent mental agitation
- maniaIntense, consuming obsession
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
- episodeSerialized content unit
anxiety · uncontrollable · meltdown · fit · delirium · agitation · overwrought · hyperventilation
Identification of illness
- FreudFounder of psychoanalysis
- asylumShelter from persecution
- institutionalizationEstablishing as norm or standard
- VictorianOf a prim era
neurasthenia · rest cure · hypnosis · paralysis · seizures · conversion disorder · invalidism · smelling salts
Quantity of matter
- contagionDisease spread by contact
- mobDisorderly, aggressive crowd
- crowdLarge public gathering
- spreadingExtending over space
Salem · witch-hunt · craze · epidemic · outbreak · dancing plague · moral panic · groupthink
Overhyped news coverage
- tabloidSensationalist newspaper format
- clickbaitSensationalized content for traffic
- overblownInflated beyond reasonable proportion
- fearmongeringDeliberately spreading exaggerated threats
hype · frenzy · viral · outrage · scandal · panic-inducing · alarmist · breathless
Showing contemptuous disregard
- womenFemale adults collectively
- emotionalShowing strong feelings
- irrationalLacking sound judgment
- overreactingDisproportionate emotional response
hormonal · unhinged · dramatic · shrill · gaslit · patronizing · silencing · invalidating
panic
Uncontrollable sudden fear
episode · anxiety · uncontrollable · meltdown · fit · delirium · agitation · overwrought · hyperventilation · screaming
diagnosis
Identification of illness
- FreudFounder of psychoanalysis
- asylumShelter from persecution
- institutionalizationEstablishing as norm or standard
Victorian · neurasthenia · rest cure · hypnosis · paralysis · seizures · conversion disorder · invalidism · smelling salts · corsets
mass
Quantity of matter
spreading · Salem · witch-hunt · craze · epidemic · outbreak · dancing plague · moral panic · groupthink · frenzy
sensationalism
Overhyped news coverage
- tabloidSensationalist newspaper format
- clickbaitSensationalized content for traffic
- overblownInflated beyond reasonable proportion
fearmongering · hype · frenzy · viral · outrage · scandal · panic-inducing · alarmist · breathless · headlines
dismissive
Showing contemptuous disregard
- womenFemale adults collectively
- emotionalShowing strong feelings
- irrationalLacking sound judgment
overreacting · hormonal · unhinged · dramatic · shrill · gaslit · patronizing · silencing · invalidating · sexist
- 80s AlbumsThriller, Purple Rain, Back in Black, Like a Virgin, Appetite for Destruction
- Debut AlbumsPlease Please Me, The Doors, Are You Experienced, Boston, Van Halen
Hysteriacalm
Free from agitation
composure · serenity · tranquility · equanimity · placidity
Hysteriaself-control
Ability to restrain impulses
composure · restraint · rationality · level-headedness · measured response
Hysteriastoicism
Uncomplaining acceptance of difficulty
self-possession · aplomb · unflappability · steadiness · stability
- mass hysteriaShared irrational public fear
- female hysteriaDefunct psychiatric category for women
- wartime hysteriaMass anxiety during armed conflict
- war hysteriaFrenzied public demand for combat
- hysterical blindnessPsychological loss of sight