Conversion Disorder Is A Mental Health Condition - 924 Words

Conversion disorder is a mental health condition in which a person suddenly has blindness, paralysis, or other nervous system symptoms that cannot be explained by medical evaluation. Conversion disorder is known by many other names such as, functional neurological symptom disorder, pseudo neurologic syndrome, hysterical neurosis, somatoform disorders, hysteria, and psychogenic disorder. All of these names stem from a mental condition that shows psychological stress in physical ways, also known as Somatoform. Somatoform disorders are marked by persistent physical symptoms that cannot be fully explained by a medical condition, substance abuse, or other mental disorder, and seem to stem from psychological issues or conflicts. Conversion†¦show more content†¦The DSM-IV-TR classifies conversion disorder as one of the somatoform disorders which were first classified as a group of mental disorders. A recent study of health care utilization in America, estimates that 25–72% of office visits to primary care doctors are related to psychological distress that takes the form of physical symptoms. Another study estimates that at least 10% of all medical treatments and diagnostic services are conducted for patients that show no evidence of organic disease or injury. These studies show that conversion disorder is larger than we think or know and should be studied and researched more to find a method of understanding, coping, and prevention. Conversion disorder was first known as hysteria before 1600 and was linked with an illness of the uterus or given metaphysical explanations such as witchcraft or demonic possession. However, in the early 17th century, a more â€Å"psychologically minded† explanation of hysteria was introduced and it was classified as a variety of melancholy by Robert Burton in his book Anatomy of Melancholy. Shortly after, Thomas Sydenham discovered th at both men and women could suffer from hysteria and a Scottish physician named Robert Whytt wrote a book entitled Nervous, Hypochondriac and Hysteric Disorders, which classified hysteria as a nervous disorder. Between 1997