Conversion Disorder

What is conversion disorder?

A conversion disorder is a condition in which you develop physical symptoms, such as paralysis or blindness, in response to severe psychological stress. No physical cause can be found for these symptoms.

How does it occur?

This disorder occurs most often among people 10 to 35 years old. Experts believe that the symptoms are caused by the "conversion" of emotional distress into physical distress. Certain factors increase your risk for this disorder, including:

• having experienced severe emotional distress
• having a family member with the disorder
• having been sexually abused as a child
• having a very stressful home or work life
• being a woman
• being around people with physical symptoms.

What are the symptoms?

This disorder starts suddenly. Symptoms may include:

• hearing impairment, or deafness
• inability 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 be unable 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 ask you to change medicines or dosages you are currently taking to make sure medicines are not causing or increasing your symptoms. A conversion disorder may be diagnosed 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 and reassurance from healthcare providers and family members. If the symptoms do not go away within a few weeks, psychotherapy is usually the best treatment. If treatment is successful, you usually have long periods without symptoms. You may never develop symptoms again. Continued work with a therapist can help you avoid future episodes by:

• resolving the problems that prompted the symptoms
• recognizing 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 family members who may get angry and frustrated. Children and teens with conversion symptoms often have trouble at school and fall behind.

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 the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) or the National Mental Health Association (NMHA).

• NAMI's toll-free number is 1-800-950-NAMI. The Web site address is http://www.nami.org.
• NMHA's toll-free Information Center number is 1-800-969-NMHA. The Web site address is http://www.NMHA.org.