Skip to main content

Conversion Disorder

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Mental Health and Illness of Children and Adolescents

Part of the book series: Mental Health and Illness Worldwide ((MHIW))

  • 216 Accesses

Abstract

Conversion disorder is characterized by the presence of neurological symptoms without any known neurological disorder. It is often associated with psychosocial problems. Conversion disorder is more common in Asian and African countries. Understanding and recognition of conversion disorder is poor in primary care. Therefore, it is associated with high use of health facilities, unnecessary investigations, treatment, and impairment. The chapter describes conversion disorder in children and adolescents, treatment, challenges associated with it, ways to improve services, and possible prevention.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • AACAP (2017) Clinical update: telepsychiatry with children and adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 56(10):875–893

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alessi R, Vincentiis S, Rzezak P, Valente KD (2013) Semiology of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: age-related differences. Epilepsy Behav 27:292–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ani C, Reading R, Lynn R, Forlee S, Garralda E (2013) Incidence and 12-month outcome of non-transient childhood conversion disorder in the UK and Ireland. Br J Psychiatry 202:413–418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bisht J, Sankhyan N, Kaushal RK, Sharma RC, Grover N (2008) Clinical profile of pediatric somatoform disorders. Indian Pediatr 45:111–115

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campo JV, Negrini BJ (2000) Case study: negative reinforcement and behavioral management of conversion disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 39:787–790

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dell ML, Campo JV (2011) Somatoform disorders in children and adolescents. Psychiatr Clin N Am 34:643–660

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ercan ES, Varan A, VeznedaroGlu B (2003) Associated features of conversion disorder in Turkish adolescents. Pediatr Int 45:150–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant C, Krasnik C (2015) Conversion disorders in Canadian children & youth: a national survey of prevalence estimate and clinical features. Paediatr Child Health 20(5):e39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grattan-Smith P, Fairley M, Procopis P (1988) Clinical features of conversion disorder. Arch Dis Child 63:408–414

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heimann P, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Buning J, Wagner N, Stollbrink-Peschgens C, Dempfle A, von Polier GG (2018) Somatic symptom and related disorders in children and adolescents: evaluation of a naturalistic inpatient multidisciplinary treatment. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 28(12):34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang KL, Su TP, Lee YC, Bai YM, Hsu JW, Yang CH, Chen YS (2009) Sex distribution and psychiatric features of child and adolescent conversion disorder across 2 decades. J Chin Med Assoc 72(9):471–477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Indian Council of Medical Research (2005) Epidemiological study of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders in rural and urban areas. In: Shah B, Parhee R, Kumar N, Khanna T, Singh R (eds) Mental health research in India. Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, pp 85–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozlowska K, Nunn KP, Rose D, Morris A, Ouvrier RA, Varghese J (2007) Conversion disorder in Australian pediatric practice. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 46(1):68–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leary PM (2003) Conversion disorder in childhood – diagnosed too late, investigated too much? J R Soc Med 96(9):436–438

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Malhotra S, Chakrabarti S, Shah R, Sharma M, Sharma KP, Malhotra A, Upadhyaya SK, Margoob MA, Maqbool D, Jassal GD (2017) Telepsychiatry clinical decision support system used by non-psychiatrists in remote areas: validity & reliability of diagnostic module. Indian J Med Res 146:196–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ndukuba AC, Ibekwe RC, Odinka PC, Muomah RC, Nwoha SO, Eze C (2015) Knowledge of conversion disorder in children by paediatricians in a developing country. Niger J Clin Pract 18:534–537

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Patel V, Flisher AJ, Nikapota A, Malhotra S (2008) Promoting child and adolescent mental health in low and middle income countries. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 49:313–334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pehlivanturk B, Unal F (2000) Conversion disorder in children and adolescents: clinical features and comorbidity with depressive and anxiety disorders. Turk J Pediatr 42:132–137

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pehlivanturk B, Unal F (2002) Conversion disorder in children and adolescents a 4-year follow-up study. J Psychosom Res 52:187–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry J, Boyle A, Wessely S (2016) The expansion of the foundation programme in psychiatry. BJPsych Bull 40:223–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plioplys S, Doss J, Siddarth P, Bursch B, Falcone T, Forgey M, Hinman K, LaFrance WC Jr, Laptook R, Shaw RJ, Weisbrot DM, Willis MD, Caplan R (2014) A multisite controlled study of risk factors in pediatric psychogenic nonepileptic seizures. Epilepsia 55(11):1739–1747

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prabhu A, Vishnu Vardhan G, Pandit LV (2015) Pathways to tertiary care adopted by individuals with psychiatric illness. Asian J Psychiatr 16:32–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richa GRG, Subramanyam A, Sharma P (2018) Clinical profile of somatic symptom and related disorders in children. Int J Contemp Pediatr 5:214–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Srinath S, Bharat S, Girimaji S, Seshadri S (1993) Characteristics of a child inpatient population with hysteria in India. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32(4):822–825

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stone J, Smyth R, Carson A, Lewis S, Prescott R, Warlow C, Sharpe M (2005) Systematic review of misdiagnosis of conversion symptoms and “hysteria”. BMJ 331(7523):989

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yadav A, Agarwal R, Park J (2015) Outcome of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) in children: a 2-year follow-up study. Epilepsy Behav 53:168–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vivek Agarwal .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Agarwal, V., Sitholey, P. (2020). Conversion Disorder. In: Taylor, E., Verhulst, F., Wong, J., Yoshida, K., Nikapota, A. (eds) Mental Health and Illness of Children and Adolescents. Mental Health and Illness Worldwide. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0753-8_58-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0753-8_58-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-0753-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-0753-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics