spiderowl Posted January 18, 2016 Posted January 18, 2016 Does anyone know anyone who has had/still has conversion disorder? I don't mean religious conversion, I mean a mental health disorder. I have done a fair bit of reading about it online but would like to hear of people's personal experiences. I know someone who has this and it is seriously disabling. I am wondering whether there have really been positive outcomes from this?
Author spiderowl Posted January 19, 2016 Author Posted January 19, 2016 No replies. Is it really that rare?
truthtripper Posted January 20, 2016 Posted January 20, 2016 I don't think many people would know what 'conversion disorder' means, ie: psychological stress expressed as physical symptoms. Everyone experiences it everyday, for eg. when you watch a scary movie or during a doctors appointment your heart beat increases, you blood pressure rises, you breathe faster etc. These are not medical problems of course, but it helps people relate to your query. Mind and body are one, so it only makes sense that psychological stress can cause physical illness. Eighteen months ago I tore my groin muscles in a sporting accident. I was in excruciating pain for two weeks before my muscles suddenly went into spasm. Although my muscle tears healed long ago, I still suffer with spasm. My doctor thinks it's an emotional response to the trauma of the accident. So here is one person who has a conversion disorder.
SpiralOut Posted January 20, 2016 Posted January 20, 2016 I know someone who most likely had/has this. He showed all the signs of having depression, but wouldn't admit to it or get any help for it. Instead he had stomach pain that would not go away. He went to various doctors for help and none of them could find anything wrong with his stomach. Several suggested his real problem was depression, but he wouldn't listen to them. At one point he was taking medication for his stomach and it didn't work. I know someone else (family member) with anxiety problems. She slept very poorly. She tried all sorts of physical methods (herbal teas, etc) to help with the insomnia and none of it worked. It wasn't until she went to a psychotherapist that her sleeping problems improved.
Author spiderowl Posted January 24, 2016 Author Posted January 24, 2016 Thanks for replies and for elaborating. I hadn't explained it very well. The kind of conversion disorder I mean is one necessitating psychiatric intervention. It is so serious that the person has been disabled by it. Has had to stop work. I am wondering if anyone else has had this so badly and if they recovered completely? I know there are assumptions in papers online that people with such symptoms can recover but has it happened in practice? A review I read online seems to imply that most people don't actually recover fully and remain disabled to some extent. It seems difficult to find the facts about what is a highly disputed disorder.
truthtripper Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 Thanks for replies and for elaborating. I hadn't explained it very well. The kind of conversion disorder I mean is one necessitating psychiatric intervention. It is so serious that the person has been disabled by it. Has had to stop work. I am wondering if anyone else has had this so badly and if they recovered completely? I know there are assumptions in papers online that people with such symptoms can recover but has it happened in practice? A review I read online seems to imply that most people don't actually recover fully and remain disabled to some extent. It seems difficult to find the facts about what is a highly disputed disorder. Do you mean like catatonia or muscle paralysis due to emotional shock/trauma? Yes, people can heal with the right therapy. If you read Peter Levine's 'Waking the Tiger', he has developed a technique called 'somatic experiencing' which has been proved successful in healing clients. It is a very specialised field of psychology. You would have to seek out a therapist with this specific training.
truthtripper Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 There are also many people suffering from undiagnosable chronic physical illnesses who cannot make clear connections with emotional trauma. It's dangerous for doctors to dismiss them as psychiatric, as there may very well be underlying physical reasons for their ailments which conventional medical diagnostic methods fail to detect.
Author spiderowl Posted January 24, 2016 Author Posted January 24, 2016 Thanks for your posts truthtripper. Yes, this has caused physical symptoms which have made it very hard for the person to do things. I agree that symptoms should not be ascribed to pscyhiatric causes without checking out the physical side of things. The problem is that this appears (even to me) not to fit with any known physical pathway for the problems. As a sufferer of fibromyalgia and abdominal pain myself, I know how bad things can get without doctors being able to find a cause. Thank you for the book reference. That sounds very interesting. 1
truthtripper Posted January 25, 2016 Posted January 25, 2016 (edited) There is also a body work therapy called Feldenkrais Technique. It is based on the mind/body connection and is extremely useful for people suffering from conversion disorders. You can go for private therapy and there are also group classes. Both have really helped me especially in grounding myself(I was abused in childhood). Edited January 25, 2016 by truthtripper
Author spiderowl Posted January 26, 2016 Author Posted January 26, 2016 Thank you, that's interesting. I thought that conversion disorders were some anxiety and uncomfortably bodily symptoms, but I have to say I am quite shocked at the severity of the situation this person is in.
truthtripper Posted January 26, 2016 Posted January 26, 2016 Thank you, that's interesting. I thought that conversion disorders were some anxiety and uncomfortably bodily symptoms, but I have to say I am quite shocked at the severity of the situation this person is in. If you don't mind me asking, what are this person's symptoms?
Author spiderowl Posted January 27, 2016 Author Posted January 27, 2016 I can't really say on here, sorry.
darkbloom Posted January 27, 2016 Posted January 27, 2016 My cousin has these. What is your question about them?
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