What Does Neurotic Mean?

Neurotic is a word that is commonly misused. Although it has a meaning in psychology, many people in popular culture use it to refer to anyone with certain quirks. From a fear of heights to a phobia of dirt, neurotic behavior can take on many forms. In reality, it is a mental disorder that can severely affect how someone lives their entire life.

How Being Neurotic Works

Neurotic technically refers to being in a negative emotional state for an extended period of time. While normal people feel guilt or sadness at times, someone who is neurotic may be consumed by these feelings for a longer time period. They may feel envy, depression, guilt, anger, rage or anxiety at heightened levels for an ongoing period of time.

In the modern world, being neurotic is often referred to as an insult. It basically implies that someone is different in a negative way that may scare other people. Neuroticism often refers to being overly or intensely emotional. The individual may feel their emotions so strongly that they feel anxious or worried about someone. Someone who is neurotic may send out a text message and immediately assume the worst if they do not get a response right away. A neurotic person may also spot people talking in a party and instantly assume that the group of people are talking behind their back.

What Is the Difference Between Neuroticism and Neurosis?

Although people often use these two words to mean the same thing, they actually have different meanings. While neurosis is the title of the mental disorder, neuroticism is the actual having of the disorder. Since these terms are outdated and no longer used widely, many psychologists will avoid using them entirely.

Types of Neurosis

Someone who has neurosis will often recognize exactly what they are feeling and why. In comparison, an individual with a psychosis will not recognize that they are having intense feelings and are not quite as self-aware. Although there are many different types of neurosis, the following list includes some of the most common categories.

Somatization Neurosis: This type of neurosis is where the person actually experiences physical symptoms. The anxiety and stress of their disorder causes it to manifest as real symptoms.

Anxiety Neurosis: This type of neurosis is when someone feels stressed, anxious or worried over an extended period of time. When these symptoms are at their peak, the individual may experience sweating, rapid heart beats, panic attacks and chest pain.

Compensation Neurosis: Compensation neurosis refers to the desire or objective of getting money or some type of personal gain. Due to this, the person may exhibit or fake psychological symptoms.

Obsessive-Compulsive Neurosis: This is one of the most common neurosis types that is portrayed in the media. Basically, the person may feel a compulsion to do something or say something over and over again. They may also deal with intrusive thoughts that they cannot forget about.

Combat Neurosis: In modern times, this is technically known as post-traumatic stress disorder. It involves re-living a terrible experience from war that caused stress or injuries. For victims of domestic violence or abuse, combat neurosis can also occur.

Depressive Neurosis: Depression sets in when the individual no longer feels like they can enjoy things that once made them happy. They may feel tired, anxious, desolate or sad for no reason. Often, individuals with depressive neurosis will find it impossible to carry on with their normal life because of the intense feelings of depression.

Although most people have actually dealt with some type of neurosis, they did not actually have a diagnosed neurosis because the feeling or compulsion did not remain. For the individuals who are diagnosed with a neurosis, recovery is possible. It can be difficult for people to be around someone with a neurosis or to help them. The individual must learn how to cope properly, or they will find it impossible to control their behavior. If the behavior is controlled instead of coped with, it will ultimately come out again and cause even more stress.

If the individual does let their neurosis come out, they may feel embarrassed around other people. At the very least, neurotic people may feel extremely critical of their behavior. Due to this, you do not want to fight with them or point out their behavior because they already realize that what they are doing is not normal. Instead, you should listen, avoid reacting and give them space to calm down if they need to.

Managing Anxiety Neurosis

Once you or a loved one is diagnosed with anxiety neurosis, it is important to learn coping mechanisms. Learning the source of the neurosis and finding treatments that can work is one of the first steps. Other than seeing a psychologist, there are at-home, natural techniques for treating a neurosis.

One of the first things that you should do is research the condition. It is easier to live with a condition if you know what it is and why it happens. Research can help you learn ways to deal with your condition, and some of the latest medical techniques available. If research makes you feel more anxious and stressed out, then hold off for a while.

Relaxation and exercise are amazing ways to help your neurosis. Meditation and deep breathing are great for relaxing your mind and reducing anxiety. If you can learn how to use meditation in your life, it can help to calm your mind and body. For an added boost, you can always try to exercise. Physical activity boosts your endorphins, so it can lead to increased feelings of happiness. In addition, a sedentary lifestyle often gives you too much time to think, which can make you anxious. By combining exercise and meditation, you can improve your outcomes from just natural techniques.

Herbal supplements are another treatment that can work, but you need to check with your doctor before using any supplement. Herbal supplements can interact with other drugs, so you need to make sure that they are safe for you to use. Some of the most effective supplements for an anxiety neurosis include passionflower, kava kava and valerian root.


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