neurasthenia
/ˌnjʊərəsˈθiːnɪə
/noun [mass noun] chiefly dated
An ill-defined medical condition characterized by lassitude, fatigue, headache, and irritability, associated chiefly with emotional disturbance.In case after case, from somnambulism to neurasthenia to ‘Yuppie flu,’ we see how medical and cultural trends alternately reinforce and erode particular psychosomatic symptoms....
- Review of the catalogue of Chinese herbal drugs showed that treatment of symptoms associated with neurasthenia was indicated in 10 patent drugs of Chinese herbs.
- Fatigue was neurasthenia's chief symptom, bringing a loss of concentration and efficiency.
Derivatives
neurasthenic
/ adjective & noun ...- For example, it isn't hard to imagine that many a person with multiple sclerosis was once considered neurasthenic.
- For certain troublesome neurasthenic cases, particularly in women, this discussion suggests a practical therapeutic measure.
- Here is the prototypical neurasthenic fatigue - almost suicidal, but ultimately too passive and weak to even take that course of action.