Conversion Disorders

Question: Can anyone explain how hysterical blindness / conversion disorder works? I was wondering if someone could explain to me how hysterical blindness, also referred to as conversion disorder, works, specifically in terms of blindness? From what I gather the condition is largely mental, but I don't understand how the mental issue can create blindness.

Answer: conversion disorder is poorly understood, so it makes it difficult to answer your question. what we know about conversion disorder is that very stressful events (ie life threatening occurrences, sexual/physical/mental abuse) can be so severe that the mind does not know how to process them. Often, the event is so severe that the mind blocks it from the person's memory so it cannot be relived. When this happens, the mind will express the conflict as a physical symptoms (weakness, problems speaking, seeing, hearing, even seizures). doctors often diagnosis conversion disorder when a person's problem (weakness, blindness, etc) does not fit anatomically or they fail certain exam techniques (ie the "blind" person cannot stop the blink reflex when an object approaches because the connections are still present in the brain).

Question: What is the prevalence of Conversion Disorder? How common do people get Conversion Disorder?

Answer: Conversion Disorders are quite rare, and effect at most 5 in every 1000 people.

Question: How are the symptoms of conversion disorder treated? For example, if they say they are blind, how is that treated medically if there is no organic cause? Or if they have paralysis in one arm, would they get treated or just sent home? Is it possible that the arm is not really paralized, that you might see them move it?

Answer: For blindness I would probably first refer the patient to a neuro-ophthalmologist; for a paralyzed arm, a neurologist. If their evaluation determined no organic causation, I would ask about stress and conflict in the patient's life. Denial is a potent defense mechanism, so I almost always needed the help of a psychiatrist. Had a difficult patient with a paralyzed arm that proved to be reflex sympathetic dystrophy. I understand there are new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities for this condition, but I am not conversant with them. Edit: if a patient moves (or sees) when no one is looking, that is malingering, not conversion disorder.

Question: How would one come to the diagnosis of Conversion Disorder? Say one has the sudden and unexplained symptom of blindness. Would they first go to the doctor, who would send them to a neurologist, who sends them to a psychiatrist? How would it work? And how would they cancel out any other illnesses?

Answer: through testing and experience

Question: How can I cope with my conversion disorder? I am medicated, and it helps but I need some more tips on how do deal with all of this

Answer: seeing a therapist ofr counselling would probably help too

Question: I have a conversion disorder any help with ways to stop symptoms? I have tried see a psychiatrist for thearpy and have been on a number of meds: celaxa, diazipam, fexiril, adivan and propanalol. I have been to three nerologist and a neropsycholigist. I have now had this condition for over seven years and am unable to work because of it. I am also in pain for most of my day and pain meds are starting not to work at all. Any help you be nice. Please no awsners just to get points this is very important to me.

Answer: ill try to help out since no one has answered you yet, but i dont know how succesful i will be. One of my family members has a similair dissorder and it has no cure and if your doctor knows that your pain is worsening and is not diong anything about it, then you might want to switch doctors, even though this may be difficult. the depression is hard to treat and i am not sure how to help you with that. but for the pain, ask your doctor about biofeedback. it sounds kinda crazy and insane and weird and tahts what i thought. but it actually helps with intense pain situations. its basically a breathing technique and has no medication involved. for some people it doesnt work at all , but others it has amazing results. with my family member pain meds don't always work, especially when it gets to be night time and they can't sleep. i hope that your doctors are able to help you with the pain and im sorry that it is getting worse. i wish you the best of luck and i hope i at least helped a little bit.

Question: Why is conversion disorder important to know? What do you know about it?

Answer: It's important to know about because the symptoms may be mistaken for medical issues when they aren't. It's one of the somatoform disorders. The somatoform disorders represent physical expression of emotional problems. The real cause is psychological, not physical. Conversion disorder specifically affects the areas of motor and sensory function that are ordinarily under voluntary control. Examples of conversion disorder symptoms include, but are not limited to: difficulty urinating poor balance double vision problems swallowing numbness in the extremities paralysis seizures inability to speak diarrhea hearing problems

Question: What can family do to help with conversion disorder? Blindness, weakness, slurred speach. HELP

Answer: Are you sure its a conversion disorder? Have ALL physical reasons been eliminated? Has the person been diagnosed by an Internist and a Psychiatrist? The above mentioned symptoms are also signs of a Stroke.