Hysteria: a clinical and sociodemographic profile of 40 patients admitted to a teaching hospital, 1985-1995

This is a retrospective clinical study of 40 inpatients diagnosed as suffering from hysteria, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders [DSM III-R], admitted to King Khalid University Hospital at Riyadh over a period 10 years [1985-95]. The female: male ratio was 3:1, 80% were less than 30 years of age and 60% were single. Hysterical conversion was the most common type [95%], whereas hysterical dissociation was rare [2.5%]. A stressful situation preceded the onset of symptoms in 62.5% of the cases