But there may be a Catch 22 to make us re-examine our lack of sympathy. Those who have to feign sickness, consciously or unconsciously, must indeed be sick to resort to such behavior.
It has been suggested that hysterical behavior is not a manifestation of disease, but a means of communication. It is part of our culture that sickness is not seen to be the fault of the sufferer and that when a person is ill he is entitled to our care and concern. He is excused from the normal demands of work and is not expected to accept the consequences of his actions until he has recovered.
Hysterical behavior may be a way for the person to communicate that he is unable to cope with the stresses of life and has a need for care and concern. It may be a way of avoiding the consequences of his actions or of escaping from an — to him — intolerable situation, such as war.
Most psychiatrists regard hysteria as notoriously difficult to treat. Perhaps if it is regarded not as an illness, but as an individual’s attempt to communicate, then we may react differently.
*453/71/1*
