Chart From American Nervousness, Its Causes and Consequences, 1881

“Nervous” diseases became prevalent toward the end of the 1800s; most manifestations were lumped under the term neurasthenia. Some public commentators believed the condition was entirely manufactured, since it seemed to affect only the wealthier people in the country. Others were convinced it was a real condition brought on by the stresses of modern life and the burdens of business. Almost all agreed that it was a peculiarly American disease.

Writers tended to mock “nervous” women who went to rest homes, sanitariums, or cruises to recover from neurasthenia, but seemed to find the condition more credible in men. “Americans who make money or achieve marked success generally have neurasthenia at some time in their lives,” said the Fort Wayne Sentinel in 1890. Nervous strain was a natural part of these successful lives, and eventually, the body succumbed to “nervous exhaustion.” Doctors often compared neurasthenia in men to the mental aberration called hysteria in women.

Nerve Medicine Aimed at Men

Symptoms of neurasthenia included fatigue, anxiety, headache, heart palpitations, and depression. Treatment in general terms emphasized rest, a change of scenery, and freedom from responsibility and care. Specifically, treatments could include massage, ocean bathing, electrical stimulation, and hypnosis. Of course, nerve tonics became popular as well. These “secret” formulas often included strychnine, morphine, cocaine, and opium among other questionable ingredients.

This Elixer Said It All

The term neurasthenia has faded, but its symptoms live on as chronic fatigue syndrome, “burn-out”, and similar terms that denote high stress and its effects.