Now We Know: You Don't Slap a "Hysterical" Person

Slate.com has an article that brings up the fact that when Mel Gibson slapped Oksana Grigorieva for being "hysterical," that was not only inappropriate, but could do more harm than good.

Is it wise to slap a hysterical person? Absolutely not. Most psychiatrists avoid the word hysteria, because it's loaded with sexist baggage from the 19th century....

Slapping was a common response to so-called hysterical episodes in the 19th century. At that time, almost all women suffering from psychological problems like hallucinations, convulsions, sleep-walking, unexplained pains, or amnesia were diagnosed with some form of "hysteria," but researchers couldn't agree on what caused it. Some blamed syphilitic parents, others pointed to imbalances in the blood, and many just thought the women were faking illness to avoid their domestic obligations....