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Results for “Conversion Disorder”

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At least 1,117 records · Page 62Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

A case of camptocormia occurring in psychotherapy.

Although camptocormia has been known to be a functional symptom since its first description in 1837, there has been little opportunity to study the psychodynamics of this symptoms. The author describes the development of this symptom in a patient who had been in psychotherapy for 3 1/2 years and explores the meaning of the symptom for this patient. The author makes suggestions as to proper therapeutic management of patients with this symptom.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Handedness and the lateral distribution of conversion reactions.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the observation of Ferenczi and Purves-Stewart that conversion reactions occur with higher frequency on the left side of the body than on the right side could be confirmed. Both right-handed and left-handed patients experienced a higher proportion of left-sided symptoms (weakness or paralysis; sensory loss or numbness) than would be expected by chance, indicating a lack of support for the hypothesis that unilateral conversion symptoms occur most frequently on the most "convenient" (nondominant) side of the body. These findings and prior reports of left-sided lateralization of psychogenic pain were interpreted as support for the hypothesis that the right cerebral hemisphere is particularly involved in the mediation of affectively or motivationally determined somatic symptoms. The question of a possible link between these results and certain symptoms of disease of the right hemisphere was raised.

Conversion Disorder↗
PubMed1978

Single case study basilar artery migraine presenting as conversion hysteria.

A case of basilar migraine headache in a young woman is presented. Although the patient had been treated by a neurologist for 2 years, the diagnosis was not established. When she presented to the emergency room of a local hospital, another neurologist diagnosed conversion reaction. Although there had been problems in the family, neurological examination during an episode of headache revealed the typical features of basilar migraine headache. This case illustrates the need for sharp neurological diagnostic skills among psychiatrists, as well as the need to avoid mind-body dichotomies when possible. With treatment for migraine, the patient has done well for several months posthospitalization.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

The frequency and identification of false positive conversion reactions.

The frequency with which conversion reaction diagnoses are inappropriately applied to persons with physical diseases was estimated in a sample of medical hospital patients diagnosed hysteric. This was accomplished by ratings based on file information available at the time of diagnosis and at a 10-year follow"up, and a count of patients whose "conversion" symptoms were later diagnosed as physical illnesses. The estimated false positive rate was 25%. The symptoms most characteristic of the false positives were degenerative diseases and structural failures affecting the spinal cord, peripheral nerves, bones, muscles, and connective tissues. An effort to identify psychological parameters capable of separating true conversion reactions from false positives with a variety of behavioral symptoms and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory scores was not productive.

Conversion Disorder↗
PubMed1979

Conversion reaction in an 82-year-old man.

Conversion reactions are considered rare in the elderly. The author offers a case report of an 82-year-old man with a conversion pain syndrome and points out that conversion reactions may occur at any age and among all personality styles.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1979

Hysterical sleep episodes as a manifestation of masked depression.

A 55-year-old man suffered from compulsive sleep episodes as a manifestation of masked depression. Although the overt symptoms were conversive in nature, the treatment which finally focused on the depression was followed by disappearance of the patient's recurring sleeping spells for the first time in 4 years. Three methods were used: a) supportive psychotherapy, b) behavior therapy, and c) antidepressive medication. We conclude that the behavior treatment indirectly revealed the masked depression previously concealed by rigid defense mechanisms.

Amitriptyline↗
PubMed1980

On the laterality of psychogenic somatic symptoms.

Tabulation of cases reported in the literature of unilateral psychogenic somatic symptoms revealed that more symptoms were on the left side of the body than on the right; this result, although falling short of statistical significance, is consistent with recent reviews of hospital records by Stern and by Galin et al. A review of organic diseases and traumata for which lateral preferences have been reported, and a retrospective study of hospital emergency room records, provided no evidence for the hypothesis that the left-sided predominance of psychogenic symptoms is underlain by a generalized greater vulnerability of the left side to organic pathologies. The satus of three other explanations for the asymmetrical incidence of psychogenic symptoms is discussed.

Conversion Disorder↗
PubMed1980

Conversive hallucinations.

Reports of conversive hallucinations are rare in the literature. A case is presented describing the psychogenesis and phenomenology of hallucinations experienced by a female patient.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Hysteria and hypnosis.

Polysymptomatic female hysterics (Briquet's syndrome) are good or excellent hypnotic subjects with few exceptions, and many have multiple personalities. Furthermore, female patients with major conversion symptoms are excellent hypnotic subjects. The evidence supports spontaneous self-hypnosis as the prime mechanism in many patients with severe hysterical neuroses.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Psychogenic sensory loss.

One hundred consecutive patients complaining of hemifacial numbness were tested for two features commonly thought to indicate psychogenic sensory loss: a) exact splitting of the midline to pinprick, and b) diminished vibratory sensation on the affected forehead. Twenty patients had purely psychogenic complaints, while 80 had organic lesions. Sensory loss split the midline in four patients (20%) with psychogenic complaints but also in six patients (7.5%) with structural lesions (p = NS). Vibration was diminished in 19 patients (95%) with psychiatric disease but also in 69 patients (86%) with organic lesions (p = NS). Contrary to popular beliefs, these "nonphysiologic" findings do not distinguish psychogenic from organic sensory loss.

Conversion Disorder↗
PubMed1987

Childhood conversion reactions in the emergency department: Part I--Diagnostic and management approaches within a biopsychosocial framework.

The pediatric emergency physician faces several difficulties when he is unable to diagnose an organic etiology that sufficiently explains a child's somatic symptoms. Biomedical or psychological approaches alone often result in unsatisfactory outcomes, such as continued symptomatology, increased family anxiety, and either excessive or suboptimal use of medical resources to search for less obvious diseases. This paper suggests that the best approach toward a child's unexplained somatic symptoms is a biopsychosocial orientation that includes conversion reaction within the differential diagnosis. Comprehensive strategies are described for both diagnosis and management of conversion reactions so that both organic and psychosocial factors can be understood and addressed in the emergency department setting. Prognosis, epidemiology, and questions involving the definition of conversion reaction are also discussed. A follow-up paper will address specific diagnostic issues regarding both the general features and the most common presentations of conversion reactions.

Child↗