Common examples of conversion symptoms include
blindness, diplopia, paralysis, dystonia
, psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), anesthesia, aphonia, amnesia, dementia, unresponsiveness, swallowing difficulties, motor tics, hallucinations, pseudocyesis and difficulty walking.
What is a conversion disorder and how is it treated?
Diagnosis of conversion disorder is based on identifying particular signs that are common among people with the disorder, as well as performing tests to rule out other causes of the symptoms. Treatment may include
psychotherapy, hypnosis, and stress management training
to help reduce symptoms.
What’s an example of conversion disorder?
Conversion disorder is a condition in which you have physical symptoms of a health problem but no injury or illness to explain them. For example,
imagine taking a hard fall off your bike and then not being able to move your arm
. But your arm isn’t injured. Neither is any other part of your body.
Is conversion disorder a mental illness?
Conversion disorder is a
mental condition
in which a person has blindness, paralysis, or other nervous system (neurologic) symptoms that cannot be explained by medical evaluation.
What is the hallmark of conversion disorder?
Conversion disorder (also known as functional neurological system disorder) is a condition in which a person experiences physical and sensory problems, such as paralysis,
numbness, blindness
, deafness or seizures, with no underlying neurologic pathology.
What is the best treatment for conversion disorder?
- Psychological therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). …
- Hypnosis.
- Stress management training to make symptoms more manageable.
- Physical therapy for weak limbs, walking problems, other movement problems.
- Occupational therapy.
- Speech therapy.
Can a person recover from conversion disorder?
People affected by conversion disorder
generally make a full recovery
. Even without treatment, symptoms are generally short-term, usually lasting a few days to a few weeks, and often resolve themselves. However, without treatment, recurrences are common.
How do you treat conversion disorder at home?
- treating any underlying mental health conditions, such as depression.
- cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- psychotherapy.
- relaxation techniques, such as meditation or yoga.
- physical therapy.
- maintaining a healthy work and life balance.
- seeking additional support from friends, family, and the community.
Does conversion disorder qualify for disability?
Social Security Disability for Conversion Disorder
If the symptoms are severe enough, an
individual’s ability to work on a full-time basis may be compromised
. There are many factors that Social Security will look at when considering a claim involving conversion disorder.
Is conversion disorder an anxiety disorder?
It is common for a person with conversion disorder to also have
a co-occurring mental health condition
. This might include a mood disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociative disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, somatic disorders, and personality disorders.
What is it like to have conversion disorder?
The symptoms of conversion disorder—such as paralysis of an arm or leg or loss of sensation in a part of the body—suggest
nervous system dysfunction
. Other symptoms may resemble a seizure or involve problems with thinking, difficulty swallowing, or loss of one of the special senses, such as vision or hearing.
What part of the brain does conversion disorder affect?
Notably, compared with controls, conversion-disorder subjects showed increased
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity
, decreased hippocampus activity, enhanced connectivity between the amygdala and the supplementary motor area, and increased supplementary motor area and temporo-parietal activity.
Is conversion disorder a rare disease?
Conversion disorder is a
relatively rare mental illness
, with 2 to 5 out of 100,000 people reporting symptoms per year.
Is pain a symptom of conversion disorder?
[7] found that symptoms of chronic pain and chronic fatigue were reported to present in 56 and 34%, respectively, of children diagnosed with
conversion
disorder. Additionally, chronic pain syndromes have been reported in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures [7, 8].
Is there medication for conversion disorder?
Sparse evidence exists
for use of medications for the independent treatment of conversion. Medications that have been tried with success include tricyclic antidepressants, haloperidol, and also treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Treatment of coexisting psychological or psychiatric disease is warranted.
What is the difference between conversion disorder and epilepsy?
Psychoanalytic theory postulates that conversion disorder is caused by the repression of
unconscious intrapsychic
conflicts and conversion of anxiety into physical symptoms [2]. Unlike epileptic seizures, psychogenic non-epileptic seizures are not a result of an organic brain disease.
