Abstract Details

Title Climacteric Neurosis in Association with Menopause

Topic History of Neurology

Presentation(s) P10 - Poster Session 10 (8:00 AM-9:00 AM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 20-009

Objective To observe the documentation of climacteric neurosis in association with menopause from 1880 to 1920.

Background Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, menopause was documented as a period of neurological fragility. Various medical researchers of the time analyzed climacteric neurosis as a condition signified by psychoses, depression, and cognitive decline. These descriptions established expectations in both neurological conditions and societal expectations about women’s age and health.

Design/Methods We researched European and American historical medical documents written in 1880 to 1920, with reports of gynecological and neurological theories of the female body. We then reviewed the sources for clinical and psychiatric descriptions of climacteric neurosis with an association of menopause.

Results

Medical researchers frequently associated/classified menopause as a neurological crisis or a cause for climacteric neurosis. This classification contributed to the social assumption of the instability of the female mind, undermining the challenges women face during menopause. Reports in Peridische Psycho (1890) classified psychoses of the climacterium during menstruation and outside of menstruation as distinct categories. This supported the idea that there is an association between climacteric neurosis and the female hormonal cycle. These medical frameworks pushed various social connotations towards women.

Conclusions Between 1880 and 1920, climacteric neurosis functioned as a diagnostic label synthesizing neurological theories to gender bias. The historical documentation of “insanity” in women showcased how menopause was weaponized throughout neurological practices, providing the framework of early approaches to the misunderstanding of medical care for women.

Authors/Disclosures
Kate Kurata PRESENTER	Ms. Kurata has nothing to disclose.
Alison L. Christy, MD, PhD, FAAN	Dr. Christy has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Azurity. Dr. Christy has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for SAGE Publishing. Dr. Christy has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for MDLinx. The institution of Dr. Christy has received research support from Biohaven. The institution of Dr. Christy has received research support from Novartis / Amgen. The institution of Dr. Christy has received research support from Eli Lilly. The institution of Dr. Christy has received research support from Abbvie.

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