Conversion Disorder

What is conversion disorder?

A conversion disorder is a condition in which you have physical symptoms in response to psychological stress. No physical cause can be found for these symptoms.

What is the cause?

This disorder occurs most often among people 10 to 35 years old. You are more at risk for this disorder if you:

• have experienced severe emotional distress
• have a family member with the disorder
• were sexually abused as a child
• have a very stressful home or work life
• are a woman
• are around people with physical symptoms

What are the symptoms?

This disorder starts suddenly. Symptoms may include:

• hearing problems, or deafness
• not being able to speak
• numbness
• paralysis of an arm or leg
• seizures or falling down
• severe trembling
• trouble swallowing
• visual changes, such as double vision, or blindness.

Usually, the disorder lasts only for a few weeks or months. During that time, you may not be able to work or even carry out daily activities.

How is it diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider or a mental health professional can tell you if your symptoms are conversion disorder. He or she will ask about your symptoms and any drug or alcohol use. You may have tests to rule out medical problems. Your provider may adjust the medicines you are taking to make sure medicines are not causing or increasing your symptoms. You may be diagnosed with this disorder if:

• You suddenly have any of the symptoms listed above.
• You have recently been involved in a stressful event.
• No physical cause for the symptom can be found.

How is it treated?

It is important to have support from healthcare providers and family members. If the symptoms do not go away within a few weeks, psychotherapy is usually the best treatment. Psychotherapy can help you:

• resolve the problems that prompted the symptoms
• learn to identify and express the emotions related to the episode
• recognize early signs of stress that might lead to an episode

Hypnosis has also been used successfully to treat this disorder.

When should I seek help?

If you do not seek help, you may have repeated episodes. This could result in high medical bills and lead to other problems such as depression or anxiety.

If your symptoms are seriously interfering with your daily life, seek help from your healthcare provider or a mental health professional. Treatment can make a big difference in the overall quality of your life. For more information, contact:

• National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
  Phone: 1-800-950-NAM
  Web site: http://www.nami.org
• Mental Health America
  Phone: 1-800-969-6642
  Web site: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net