Wednesday, August 20, 2003

Dysphoria

dys·pho·ri·a
  • n.  An emotional state characterized by anxiety, depression, or unease.
  • From Greek dusphori, distress, which derived from dusphoros, hard to bear
  • The antonym of euphoria

My doctor referred to the bouts of disorientation, dread, depression, and discomfort I have been experiencing as dysphoria. She says it's common for patients to feel like they are dying (or wish they were) when their central nervous systems are being slammed around by large amounts of chemicals and nonstop pain signals, and that the feeling usually goes away once the drugs reach equilibrium.

Dysphoria. Unease. Hrmm.