Conversion disorder

Conversion disorder (CD), or functional neurologic symptom disorder, is a diagnostic category used in some psychiatric classification systems. It is sometimes applied to patients who present with neurological symptoms, such as numbness, blindness, paralysis, or fits, which are not consistent with a well-established organic cause, which cause significant distress, and can be traced back to a psychological trigger. It is thought that these symptoms arise in response to stressful situations affecting a patient's mental health or an ongoing mental health condition such as depression. Conversion disorder was retained in DSM-5, but given the subtitle functional neurological symptom disorder. The new criteria cover the same range of symptoms, but remove the requirements for a psychological stressor to be present and for feigning to be disproved. The ICD-10 classifies conversion disorder as a dissociative disorder, and the ICD-11 as a dissociative disorder with unspecified neurological symptoms. However, the DSM-IV classifies conversion disorder as a somatoform disorder.

Conversion disorder
Jean-Martin Charcot demonstrating hypnosis in a hysterical patient to his students. Hysteria as a clinical diagnosis was later replaced by conversion disorder.
SpecialtyPsychiatry, Neurology
SymptomsNumbness, weakness, paralysis, seizures, tremor, fainting, impaired hearing, swallowing and vision
CausesLong term stress
TreatmentCognitive behavioral therapy, antidepressants, physical/occupational therapy
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