Freud was a doctor in Vienna who treated wealthy women for anxiety, hysteria, and depression. His work greatly contributed to the understanding of the Gothic and Empire. He focused his work on the neglect of women in their lives, and at the time, these women's emotions were seen as simply illnesses that must be treated. The women during this time were expected to be polite, simple minded, and quiet. These expectations caused them to live their lives with great restrictions which then in turn caused them to go insane. Freud's methods of treatment included hosing down women and asking them to explain how they felt and what made them feel the way they did. Ultimately these women were diagnosed with hysteria which can be defined as the "expression of existential desperation or revolt against social constraint".
These patients, their stories, and Freud's methods of treatments truly expose the gothic effect of Empire on a person, exclusively females. The Empire restrained women from expressing their interests and desires because women had to follow a strict set of rules and regulations. This grip that the Empire had on women caused them to read Gothic romance novels, which were extremely taboo at the time. The women were prisoners to the Empire and they lived lives filled with depression and a longing to escape the shackles that bound them to the Imperial City. Freud helped discover and treat their hysteria while exposing the tragic grip that the Empire had on these women.
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