What Is Conversion Disorder?

Exclusions During Diagnosis

Conversion disorder cannot be diagnosed until several exclusions have been made. Doctors need to run tests to prove the symptoms do not have a physical or neurological basis. Diagnosticians must exclude any disorders that could present with similar symptoms. These might include certain types of paralysis, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, or a stroke. Neurological causes must be examined and excluded through a series of different tests and studies. Another thing that must be excluded is feigning. A patient cannot be deliberately feigning or faking their symptoms. However, it's difficult to definitively prove someone is not faking symptoms; it can only be proven they are faking symptoms if they confess. There aren't any clinical techniques that can be relied upon to tell whether a person is lying. For conversion disorder to be diagnosed, these components must be excluded, and a doctor must be able to include a psychological component. Many conversion disorder patients may be misdiagnosed with other illnesses throughout the process, as has been observed in multiple research studies.

Of course, once a diagnosis is reached, treatment must begin. Continue reading to learn about the treatment options available for those with conversion disorder.

Treatment Options For Conversion Disorder

Some patients can experience relief from their symptoms even without treatment after the initial diagnostic process. This occurs because they receive reassurance there is no underlying issue causing their symptoms, validation that the symptoms are real, and a thorough explanation of what conversion disorder is and why it is happening.

However, patients with lingering, recurring, or severe symptoms, or those who also have other mental or physical health issues, often require treatment for conversion disorder. Treatment options in these cases include undergoing psychotherapy, commonly called talk therapy, physical or occupational therapy, and hypnosis. Medication is rarely prescribed for conversion disorder itself but often comes into play when treating other psychological conditions occurring in conjunction with conversion disorder, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or clinical depression.

Read about patient prognosis in regards to conversion disorder next.