cardiac neurosis: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very LowMedical/Clinical, Historical
Quick answer
What does “cardiac neurosis” mean?
A historical psychological condition characterized by anxiety and preoccupation with having a serious heart condition, despite the absence of significant organic heart disease.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A historical psychological condition characterized by anxiety and preoccupation with having a serious heart condition, despite the absence of significant organic heart disease.
A functional disorder where physical symptoms related to the heart (e.g., palpitations, chest pain) are primarily driven by psychological factors like anxiety and fear. An outdated diagnostic term, largely replaced by more modern concepts like somatic symptom disorder or illness anxiety disorder.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. Both regions have moved away from this term in contemporary clinical practice.
Connotations
Archaic, historically used in psychoanalytic and psychosomatic medicine contexts. May carry a slightly dismissive or stigmatizing connotation if used today, implying the condition is 'all in the head'.
Frequency
Extremely rare in current professional use in both varieties. Might appear in historical medical texts or in discussions of the history of psychiatry.
Grammar
How to Use “cardiac neurosis” in a Sentence
Patient + suffer from + cardiac neurosisDoctor + diagnose + patient + with + cardiac neurosisCardiac neurosis + manifest + as + symptomsVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cardiac neurosis” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The patient's symptoms were neurotically cardiac in origin.
American English
- The physician noted the patient tended to cardiacize their anxiety.
adjective
British English
- He presented with a cardiac neurotic disorder.
American English
- Her complaints were deemed cardioneurotic in nature.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not applicable.
Academic
Used in historical or critical discussions of psychosomatic medicine and the evolution of psychiatric diagnoses.
Everyday
Virtually never used in everyday conversation. A layperson might describe the experience as 'health anxiety about my heart'.
Technical
An obsolete term in psychiatry and cardiology. Modern equivalents are found in diagnostic manuals like the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “cardiac neurosis”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “cardiac neurosis”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cardiac neurosis”
- Using it as a current medical diagnosis.
- Confusing it with actual cardiac disease like angina.
- Misspelling as 'cardiac neuroses' (plural) when referring to the condition generally.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. It is a psychological condition where the distress manifests as physical symptoms focused on the heart, but there is no significant structural damage to the heart itself.
No, it is considered an obsolete and potentially stigmatizing term. Modern psychiatry uses diagnoses like 'illness anxiety disorder' or 'somatic symptom disorder' to describe similar presentations.
Symptoms typically include persistent fear of having heart disease, preoccupation with heart function, and physical sensations like palpitations, chest pain, or shortness of breath that are not explained by medical tests.
Historical treatments included psychotherapy (often psychoanalytic), reassurance, and sometimes sedatives. Modern treatment focuses on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and management of the underlying anxiety disorder.
A historical psychological condition characterized by anxiety and preoccupation with having a serious heart condition, despite the absence of significant organic heart disease.
Cardiac neurosis is usually medical/clinical, historical in register.
Cardiac neurosis: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɑː.di.æk njʊəˈrəʊ.sɪs/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkɑːr.di.æk nʊˈroʊ.sɪs/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: CARDiac + neuROSIS. Someone is so anxious about their HEART (cardiac) that it causes a state of nervous distress (neurosis).
Conceptual Metaphor
THE BODY IS A MACHINE (with a faulty component) / ANXIETY IS A DISEASE / THE MIND AFFECTS THE BODY.
Practice
Quiz
Which modern diagnosis most closely corresponds to the historical concept of 'cardiac neurosis'?