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Glite Dictionary
psychoneurosis

psychoneurosis

9.9
A mild long-lasting mental problem that causes ongoing worry or sadness
  • noun
  • /ˌsaɪkoʊnʊˈroʊsɪs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : psiconeurosis
  • [man] Mr. Zamperini, Major Zeigler asked that we meet because many of our combat veterans are suffering from exhaustion and psychoneurosis.

Examples

  • Many soldiers experience psychoneurosis after their traumatic experiences in war.

  • Psychoneurosis, according to Bose, is the result of a conflict between repressing and repressed wishes, and the essential task of the psychoanalyst is to liberate these repressed forces.

    Academic text (1990)

  • This desensitization signals a psychoneurosis that denies our mental, physical, and spiritual connection to nature.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Therapists often help patients cope with psychoneurosis, which can lead to persistent anxiety and stress.

  • The symptoms of psychoneurosis can include chronic worry and difficulty concentrating.

Synonyms

neurosis
vspsychoneurosis
  • Specialized
11 8.3

A condition of feeling very worried or nervous without losing touch with reality

emphasizes chronic ongoing distress rather than temporary symptoms

Surface Forms

psychoneurosis singular
psychoneuroses plural

Morphology

psychoneurosis = neurosis (semi-transparent) = psycho + neurosis

The word is built by adding psycho- to neurosis, but the resulting psychiatric term is specialized and not fully predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Psychoneurosis combines psycho- meaning 'mind' like in psychology and neuro- meaning 'nerve' like in neurology, with an ending that means 'condition'. So psychoneurosis describes a mild mental 'condition' where ongoing stress or emotional trouble affects a person's mind and feelings rather than coming from a clear physical problem in the brain.