Conversion disorder is a disease that manifests itself in many different ways. Conversion disorders are triggered by acute stress that the individual cannot cope with mentally. This overwhelming distress causes the brain to unconsciously disable or impair a bodily function which will relieve or prevent the patient from experiencing this stress again. The patient is always unaware of this process, and is often not concerned with his deficit.
The symptoms are endless, which may include any one or more of the following:
- Paralysis of a limb.
- Impaired hearing or vision.
- Loss of sensation.
- Impaired or loss of speech.
It is often very difficult to diagnose this illness, and it takes careful testing to rule out the possibility that the patient is malingering. With this illness detailed examinations will reveal that there is no or not sufficient organic cause for the disability experienced. When the doctors have ruled out organic problems or malingering, then the patient is often referred to a psychologist for therapy to try and break the psychological barriers that the stress has produced. This is done by first identifying the stress that triggered the response.
In fiction, Tommy from The Who's Tommy most likely suffered from a conversion disorder.
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Last updated: 08-28-2005 00:33:28
