Alterations in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity are involved in various types of neurological disorders. We examined a possible association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and conversion disorder in a study of 48 patients with conversion disorder and 48 control patients. In the conversion disorder group, 31 patients were Val/Met heterozygotes, 15 patients were Val/Val homozy...

Background: Conversion disorder is a rare condition and consequently is often misdiagnosed. Patients suffer from neurological symptoms in the absence of an organic cause. Symptoms arise in response to a stressful or traumatic situation affecting the patient’s mental health which converts to a physical problem. Although it is a psychiatric condition, conversion disorder typically affects motor o...

BACKGROUND Little is known about conversion disorder in childhood. AIMS To document clinical incidence, features, management and 12-month outcome of non-transient conversion disorder in under 16-year-olds in the U.K. and Ireland. METHOD Surveillance through the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Surveillance System. RESULTS In total, 204 cases (age ra...

Conversion disorder is a neurological disturbance in which systemic symptoms are unconscious, thus not under the control of the child. Conversion disorder is a manifestation of a stressful or traumatic event. Physical symptoms may occur with motor and sensorial disturbances, including visual reactions which may lead the practitioner to suspect an organic cause. Visual symptoms include visual ac...

Conversion disorder is defined as the presence of functional impairment in motor, sensory or neurovegetative systems which cannot be explained by a general medical condition. Although the diagnostic systems emphasize the absence of an organic basis for the dysfunction in conversion disorder, there has been a growing interest in the specific functional brain correlates of conversion symptoms in ...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not conversion symptoms are lateralized. Studies have shown a predominant left-oriented manifestation of symptoms for most somatoform disorders. The reports in the literature on the lateralization of conversion symptoms, however, are rather conflicting. They show left-sided, right-sided, or no symptom lateralization in conversion d...

OBJECTIVES To study the prevalence, pattern, clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of somatoform disorders in children. METHODS From Aug 2004 to July 2005, children up to 18 years with unexplained physical symptoms were evaluated prospectively using DSM-IV criteria. Detailed evaluation followed for those meeting criteria. RESULTS The prevalence of Somatoform disorders was 0.59% and...

BACKGROUND Conversion (dissociative) disorder is a psychiatric disorder in which somatic symptoms or deficits are present in the absence of a definable organic cause. The etiology of this disorder is not yet fully understood. The most characteristic presentations are: pseudosensory syndromes, pseudoseizures, psychogenic movement disorders and pseudoparalysis. Psychogenic speech disorder is a ra...

Conversion disorder is characterized by neurological signs and symptoms related to an underlying psychological issue. Amygdala activity to affective stimuli is well characterized in healthy volunteers with greater amygdala activity to both negative and positive stimuli relative to neutral stimuli, and greater activity to negative relative to positive stimuli. We investigated the relationship be...