What Is Conversion Disorder? Main Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
What is a conversion disorder? How can stress and anxiety affect our body? Discover how to identify conversion disorder and what to do about its symptoms.
He conversion disorder It is a condition that involves experiencing physical symptoms but not having any injury and/or illness that can explain them. In fact, in these cases it can happen that our body converts an experience of emotional and psychological stress into a physical response, even though there is no physiological signal that can explain it.
He conversion disorder or conversion disorder It is a psychological condition that causes symptoms that appear to be neurological, such as paralysis, difficulty speaking or tremors, but without obvious or known organic causes. In many cases, conversion disorder is very similar to a somatic disorder but they are differentiated because in conversion syndrome there is no underlying organic disorder that can explain the symptoms.
Symptoms of conversion syndrome
Generally, symptoms appear suddenly and end up affecting motor or sensory function. In addition, they can also disappear instantly, without any physiological reason. Normally, the physical symptoms of conversion disorder They often describe the way our body deals with unresolved stress as well as the unexpressed emotions that triggered the disorder. That is, the symptoms of conversion disorder often ‘distract’ the person from the emotional pressure they experience. Mainly, we can highlight two types of symptoms, motor and sensory. In this way, there are the following signs of a conversion disorder:
Tremors
Blindness or double vision
Deafness or hearing problems
Alterations in coordination
Non-response episode
Loss of balance
Anosmia: Loss of the sense of smell
Anesthesia: Loss of touch
Aphonia: Loss of voice
Numbness or loss of touch sensation
Seizures or convulsions
Difficulty speaking or inability to speak
Difficulty swallowing or feeling of a lump in the throat
These are some of the main signs that you could be facing conversion disorder. In the presence of these symptoms, it is important to go to a doctor and a professional psychologist. For a person to be diagnosed with conversion disorder you must have at least one symptom of sensory or motor impairment, these symptoms must not be caused by a neurological condition, physical illness, or substance use, and these symptoms must be associated with significant distress.
Causes of conversion disorder
Although the exact causes of conversion disorder They still do not have a complete explanation, research suggests that it could be caused by an abnormal flow in different areas of our brain.
He conversion disorder It can also be a psychological reaction to a highly stressful event or emotional trauma. In addition, this disorder does not necessarily develop after a trigger, but can affect days or weeks before the problem that caused it. Other causes that may influence the development of a conversion disorder are the following:
perfectionist personality: People who demand a lot from themselves or who feel a lot of pressure may experience a conversion disorder due to the stress associated with it.
Family members with conversion disorder: Individuals with close relatives with a conversion disorder are more likely to develop it.
Suffer from a disorder: Those people with a disorder such as anxiety, dissociative identity disorder or a mood disorder may end up suffering from this conversion syndrome
Trauma: Having suffered from trauma can also make people more likely to suffer from a conversion disorder
Research also suggests that people with conversion disorder They have a tendency to not regulate their emotions well.
Luckily, the conversion disorder It is not for life. Even so, a conversion crisis requires treatment from a mental health professional and a doctor to deal with all its symptoms:
Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy, including individual or group therapy, and especially through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), has been found to help people with conversion disorders to recognize the factors that may have triggered their symptoms and learn new ways to cope with them.
Drugs: Doctors may prescribe medication for anxiety or feelings of stress that causes conversion disorder
Physiotherapy: Physical therapy is often used with people with conversion disorder especially in those cases in which there are certain limitations in movement, either due to problems in coordination, balance or due to weakness in the extremities.
What to do in the face of a conversion crisis?
In addition to receiving a treatment for conversion disorder n, you can adopt some healthy lifestyle changes that allow you to control and deal with the stress and/or anxiety that cause the symptoms associated with this condition:
Healthy life style: Eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, or exercising can help you deal with the symptoms associated with conversion disorder.
Foster positive relationships: Freeing yourself from worries associated with poor relationships with others can relieve the anxiety and stress that can cause this. conversion syndrome
Practice relaxation techniques: Yoga, meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation can relieve many of the symptoms associated with conversion disorders.
The conversion disorders They are closely related to a discomfort that we cannot cope with in the best way. For this reason, when faced with the symptoms of this type of disorder, it is vital to go to a professional psychologist as soon as possible to receive treatment and address the problem that is causing us so much damage both mentally and physically.
