Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Dystrenia

I was going through some old commonplace books again when I found that I had once been very interested in the distinction between stress, that modern disease which can seem just like so much whingeing, & distress, an emotion as old as time itself, the stuff of art & literature. Interested enough to check the etymology.



According to Collins dictionary they both derive from the Latin districtus, meaning divided in mind



The OED gives as one definition for distress:



2. a. The sore pressure or strain of adversity, trouble, sickness, pain, or sorrow; anguish or affliction affecting the body, spirit, or community

which strikes me as apt for the disease of schizophrenia. Could a new name be developed from the etymology?

Districtus does not sound right, because of the implication of physical spasm or rictus. But how about distrenia, or dystrenia? It is also reminiscent of the mysteries of dystonia

It is not in the OED & Google found no mentions.



Link: Irish jokes & schizophrenia