What does psychoneurosis mean?
Psychoneurosis is an older medical and psychological term for a persistent mental or emotional disorder, especially one associated with anxiety, internal conflict, or what were then called neurotic symptoms. It appeared in clinical writing during the period when medicine and psychiatry were developing more precise descriptions of psychological distress. The term is now largely obsolete in professional diagnosis, having been replaced by specific conditions such as anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and other recognized diagnoses. In older books, journals, and historical accounts, however, it may still appear and can provide useful context for understanding earlier theories of mental health. The word should generally be understood as a historical label rather than as the preferred name for a present-day condition, and its broad meaning does not correspond neatly to any single modern diagnosis.
nounAn older term for a persistent psychological or emotional disorder, especially one thought to be caused by internal conflicts or anxiety. In modern clinical usage, it is largely obsolete and has been replaced by more specific diagnostic categories.
- An obsolete clinical term for a psychological or emotional disorder, particularly one involving anxiety, internal conflict, or neurotic symptoms.
"Her condition was described in the older literature as psychoneurosis rather than anxiety disorder."
"The physician recorded a diagnosis of psychoneurosis in his notes."
"The term psychoneurosis appears frequently in medical books written before contemporary psychiatric classifications became standard."
The plural is formed by changing the ending to -oses: psychoneuroses.
"The older texts discuss various psychoneuroses and their supposed causes."
Psychoneurosis is a historical diagnostic label that helps show how modern psychology gradually replaced vague descriptions of emotional distress with more precise conditions.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does psychoneurosis come from?
Psychoneurosis combines Greek roots associated with the mind or soul, represented by psychē, with neuro-, referring to the nervous system. The formation reflects nineteenth- and early twentieth-century attempts to describe psychological disturbance in medical terms. Its modern counterparts include psychology, psychotherapy, neurosis, and neuron, all of which share elements of this Greek-derived vocabulary.
Related word forms
How psychoneurosis is actually used
This is chiefly historical or specialist usage. It is not normally used in contemporary diagnosis, where conditions are identified with more specific clinical terms; the word can also sound dated when found in older literature.
Easily confused with psychoneurosis
Psychoneurosis is an older clinical label for psychological or emotional symptoms, whereas neurosis is the broader and more established term for a neurotic disorder.
Neurasthenia was a nineteenth- and early twentieth-century diagnosis involving fatigue, weakness, and nervous symptoms, while psychoneurosis became a broader historical term for psychological and emotional disorders.