Neuroticism Vs Neurosis: What Is the Difference?

This post was developed via a partnership with BetterHelp.

You’ve probably heard a statement tossed around to the effect of, “You’re being so neurotic right now!†It’s a common turn of phrase in popular culture, similar to calling someone a ‘narcissist.’ But have you stopped to wonder what that actually means? It’s important to understand that neurotic tendencies and neurosis are very real mental health conditions many people struggle with.

While the words ‘neuroticism’ and ‘neurosis’ are often thrown around interchangeably, it might surprise you to know they are actually two different things. If you or someone you care about struggles with anxiety, depression, OCD, or the like, it’s important to know the differences.

The more you know about it, the more appropriately you will be able to use the terms. Understanding the distinction will also allow you to seek the proper help in managing neurotic behaviors. Read on to find out the difference between neurosis and neuroticism, and the common mental health disorders neurosis symptoms usually present with.

What Is Neurosis?

Neurosis is defined by neurotic behaviors that manifest in conjunction with other mental health disorders. While the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual doesn’t define neurosis as its own diagnosable disorder, its symptoms are very real for people living with other mental health disorders.

The characteristic symptoms of neurosis are:

• Anxiety
• Intrusive, obsessive, and/or repetitive thoughts
• Depression
• Anger
• Irrational fears and phobias
• Confusion, dissociative states
• Lethargy and insomnia
• Inability to manage many everyday tasks due to stress and overwhelm

While neurotic disorders are not diagnosable by a mental health professional, they are severe enough to intrude upon one’s ability to function in daily life. Psychologists will often consider these symptoms as falling under the umbrella of anxiety disorders.

Common Types of “Neurotic†Disorders

While there is no official mental health disorder called Neurosis, there are a few types of mental illnesses that are often paired with neurosis:

1. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Characterized by intrusive thoughts, compulsive rituals, and obsessions that usually revolve around illness, contamination, and dirtiness.
2. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): This disorder happens when someone witnesses or lives through a terrifying or helpless experience, where they fear that their life is in danger. Symptoms include repeatedly reliving this trauma with flashbacks, nightmares, heightened physiological responses to their environment, and more.
3. Phobias: Neurosis often involves irrational fears, which is how phobias are defined. The object of the fear is strenuously avoided or met with terror. Many people with neurotic phobias and anxiety have agoraphobia, a fear of going out in public and leaving the home.
4. Anxiety Disorder: Most psychologists and psychiatrists include neurosis under the diagnosis of an anxiety disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by persistent anxiety and worry over a range of concerns, and feeling fatigued, restless, irritable, and unable to sleep.

What Is Neuroticism?

Now that you know neurosis is accompanied by very challenging mental health disorders, let’s talk about how neuroticism is different. The term neuroticism is used to describe the neurotic behaviors and tendencies in someone’s personality that makes them more prone to neurosis.

So in a sense, neuroticism is a personality descriptor, not a mental health disorder. In fact, Neuroticism is known as one of the “Big Five†personality traits defined by modern Personality Psychology.

Neuroticism isn’t an all-consuming set of symptoms that make it hard to function in the way neurosis is. There are many online quizzes to test your personality’s level of neuroticism, which can potentially be interesting to know whether you should personally pay extra attention to managing anxiety and stress.  Or, if you’d like to learn more about neuroticism, read some of the articles available here.

Neuroticism Is One of the “Big Five†Personalities

While neuroticism isn’t considered a mental health disorder, it’s actually considered a type of personality in some circles of Psychology. This can be useful to note if you’ve noticed certain neurotic thoughts or behaviors happening.

There are five major personality factors that psychologists have dubbed the core of our personalities. These are:

• Openness
• Conscientiousness
• Extraversion
• Agreeableness
• Neuroticism

You can take personality quizzes to determine where you might be on the “neuroticism†scale. Consider these traits as being on a spectrum. For example, the stronger a sense of openness and agreeableness you have, the more you move away from neuroticism on the spectrum.

Many of us are a combination of a few different traits, while leaning in the direction of one particular type. Try this useful “Big Five†Personality Test by Truity – it’s not an exact science, but can offer some fascinating insights!

Treating Neuroticism and Neurosis

If you have many of the symptoms of neurosis or are struggling with an anxious personality, there are things that can help you manage it. If you are just dealing with neuroticism, practicing relaxation and meditation exercises can significantly reduce your anxiety, lethargy, and obsessive thoughts. Psychotherapy can do wonders for improving your wellbeing and reducing stress and anxiety.

For more extreme neurotic mental health disorders, there are pharmaceutical drugs prescribed by a psychiatrist, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help treat the mental illness.4

Photo by Nathan Cowley