Neurasthenia was a widely diagnosed condition in the late 19th and early 20th centuries explained as “a result of exhaustion of the central nervous system’s energy reserves” encompassing an expansive range of symptoms. What they had in common was a suggested cause in the stresses and strains of modernity:
The condition was explained as being a result of exhaustion of the central nervous system‘s energy reserves, which Beard attributed to modern civilization. Physicians in the Beard school of thought associated neurasthenia with the stresses of urbanization and with stress suffered as a result of the increasingly competitive business environment. Typically, it was associated with upper class people and with professionals working in sedentary occupations, but really can apply to anyone who lives within the monetary system.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurasthenia
Is there an analogy to digital distraction as a popular diagnosis of a range of ailments loosely associated with digital media use? I’m less convinced by this thought now that I’ve typed it out but it would be interesting to study the implausible neatness of contemporary distraction discourse through the historical lens of neurathemia.
