Conversion disorder: types, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment

Despite the fact that the anatomy and psyche of a person has been studying medicine for many centuries, some of the body's reactions are still difficult to explain. Such cryptic reactions include dissociative conversion disorders.

Disease or pretense?

How do they usually treat those who complain about the disease, and when they are examined it turns out that he is healthy? Many will say that this person is a simulator, but they will not be right. Doctors know that sometimes a physically healthy person has disorders of various functions of the body. This phenomenon was called "conversion disorder".

The human psyche is very complicated. In some cases, social conflicts, internal contradictions, stressful situations or psychological traumas lead to a person feeling broken and sick. He experiences pain and symptoms, sometimes even paralysis. Imaginary sensations and symptoms for a long time called hysteria and treated them as a pretense. Only at the end of the 19th century, Jean Marten Charcot proved that patients actually experience the symptoms of non-existent diseases. It was from this time that official medicine recognized that hysterical conversion disorders are a disease.

His contribution to the study of the disease was made by Sigmund Freud, who was trained by J. M. Sharko. A young psychologist looked for connections between conscious and unconscious, "closed" memories. In the process of communicating with patients, Freud developed a special method called psychoanalysis, which allows freeing up "closed" memories and eliminating the causes of the disease.

Why is this happening

Conversion disorder is most often observed in children, young people and the elderly. The reason is that people in this period of life are most emotionally receptive. At the same time, girls and women are more susceptible to illness than boys and men.

As a result of a strong psychological shock, there is an internal conflict, and the patient can not properly assess the current situation. Conversion disorder can be caused by an underestimation of one's own worth, an attempt to "shield" from complex problems, the need to make important decisions or take responsibility. All this happens against a background of stress, and the psyche "turns on" the disease.

Initially, the symptoms were reduced to fainting, hysterical fits, paralysis and mental disorders. However, during the study of a complex mental illness called "conversion disorder," the symptoms turned out to be more extensive. It was determined that the influence of the disease can be felt by any organ. A deeper analysis made it possible to divide the symptoms into four separate groups.

The motor group of symptoms

The first and most extensive group of symptoms affects or limits motor functions. The complexity of the symptoms can be different: from gait disturbances to the onset of paralysis. Conversion disorder is often associated with uncontrolled seizures, which suddenly appear with external stimulation. The patient may fall, raise a cry, pull hands or feet, unnaturally bend and roll on the floor. Such movement disorders last from several hours to several minutes, and the cause may be - a sharp loud sound, the appearance of a new person, a flash of light and other stimuli.

Sensory group of symptoms of dissociative disorders

This group includes all the symptoms associated with the sensitivity of a person. Sensory disorders can manifest themselves in different ways:

• Violation of the threshold of sensitivity, at which the pain threshold may increase or decrease . There may come a numbness, in which sensitivity to pain disappears altogether;
• Violation of temperature perception, in which a person ceases to feel hot;
• deafness;
• Change in taste;
• Manifestations of blindness;
• Impaired sense of smell.

All these symptoms can be more or less pronounced and felt throughout different times.

Vegetative symptoms

Symptoms of this group cause spasms of smooth muscles and blood supply vessels. In this case, the conversion disorder may look like any other disease. Initially, a person is guided through a variety of tests and tests, until there is a suspicion that this is a dissociative disorder.

Mental group of symptoms

In this group there may be harmless fantasies and painful delirium. There may be hallucinations or an imaginary loss of memory, so-called amnesia. However, the symptoms cause tension and anxiety, and in more difficult cases, even split personality can cause .

Dissociative identity disorder

Despite the frequent mention in detective novels and action-packed films, a split personality, the symptoms and signs of which the authors use, is a rare disease. Even an experienced psychiatrist finds it difficult to accurately establish a diagnosis without confusing him with manifestations of schizophrenia or man's attempts to play a disease in order to avoid responsibility or punishment for a crime.

Previously, the diagnosis used the name "disorder of multiple personalities." But today they refused this diagnosis. The official name is "dissociative identity disorder". But most often this subtype of a disorder is called "split personality". Symptoms and signs of the disease are diagnosed according to four criteria:

1. The patient has two or more personal states. Each person has his own model of behavior, a separate worldview and his attitude to the world around him.
2. Internal persons alternately receive control over the behavior of the patient.
3. The patient does not have memories of important events in his life, does not remember important facts.
4. The patient's condition is not caused by the action of alcohol or drugs. The patient did not experience the effects of poisonous substances, he had not been diagnosed with other mental illnesses.

When carrying out diagnosis of the split personality in children, psychiatrists often face violent fantasies, protracted games and fictitious friends.

How is the treatment

If the patient is diagnosed with a conversion disorder, treatment should be started immediately. The first stage is the elimination of the traumatic factor. No matter how the doctor tried to work on the symptoms of the disease, but if the underlying cause is not identified, there will be no lasting effect.

For the patient, a change in the situation is useful. The main treatment is the conduct of psychotherapy sessions. In addition, the patient must be convinced that his illness is psychological. This will help correctly tune in to treatment and accelerate recovery.

A good psychoanalyst is able to establish conversion personality disorder and determine the optimal course of treatment. The use of medicines is often not required. Drug therapy is necessary only in the case of a depressed patient. To relieve anxiety and depression, a doctor can prescribe a course of tranquilizers or antidepressants.

The probability of a full recovery is quite high. Everything depends on the professionalism of the doctor and the timeliness of the care. However, in some cases there are relapses, and sometimes conversion disorders are observed throughout the life of a person.