The 10 types of conversion disorders, and their symptoms

It is common for healthy people to occasionally experience an episode of somatization throughout their lives. The somatization It is the unconscious capacity to convert afflictions or psychological conflicts into physical, organic and functional symptoms.

However, in health sciences, when this somatization becomes pathological, we can speak of conversion disorder. Also, there is a broad categorization of different types of conversion disorder according to the accepted physical or psychological functions.

• Related article: "The 16 most common mental disorders"

What is conversion disorder?

Conversion disorder or dissociative disorder was formerly known as conversion hysteria and it was with the well-known psychiatrist Sigmund Freud that it gained the most popularity; which stated that unresolved internal conflicts become physical symptoms.

This disorder is distinguished by the presence of a series of symptoms at the neurological level that impair sensory and motor functions. However, the most characteristic of all is that there really is no underlying disease that causes or justifies them.

As his name indicates, the person suffering from conversion disorder unconsciously transforms his psychological worries or conflicts into symptoms, difficulties or deficits at a physical level; such as blindness, paralysis of a member, insensitivity, etc.

Usually, patients affected by this disorder tend to deny all those conflicts or problems that are obvious to other people.

• Related article: "Sigmund Freud's Theory of the Unconscious (and new theories)"

Types of conversion disorder

According to the ICD-10 Manual, there are different types of conversion disorders depending on which functions or capabilities are affected.

1. dissociative amnesia

In this subtype of the disorder, the person suffers from memory loss in which they** forget all recent events**. This loss has no organic origin or cause and is too pronounced to be due to stress factors or fatigue.

This loss of memories mainly affects traumatic events or events with a very intense emotional charge, and tends to be partial and selective.

This amnesia It is usually accompanied by various affective states, such as distress and bewilderment, but on many occasions the person accepts this disorder in a very peaceful way.

The keys to diagnosis are:

• Appearance of partial or complete amnesia of recent events traumatic or stressful in nature.
• Absence of an organic brain condition, possible intoxication or extreme fatigue.

2. dissociative fugue

In this case, the disorder meets all the requirements for dissociative amnesia, but also includes intentional transfer. away from the location where the patient is usually located, this displacement tends to be to places already known by the subject.

It is possible that even a change of identity will be carried out by the patient, which can last from days to long periods of time, and with an extreme level of authenticity. Dissociative fugue can be caused by an apparently ordinary person to anyone who does not know him.

In this case the rules for diagnosis are:

• Present the properties of dissociative amnesia.
• Intentionally moving outside of the everyday context.
• Preservation of basic care skills and interaction with others.

3. dissociative stupor

For this phenomenon, the patient presents all the symptoms typical of the state of stupor but without an organic basis that justifies it. In addition, after a clinical interview, the existence of some traumatic or stressful biographical event, or even relevant social or interpersonal conflicts, is manifested.

Stupor states are characterized by a decrease or paralysis of voluntary motor skills and a lack of response to external stimuli. The patient remains immobile, but with present muscle tone, for a very long time. Likewise, the ability to speak or communicate is also virtually absent.

The diagnostic pattern is as follows:

• Presence of stupor states.
• Absence of a psychiatric or somatic condition that justify the stupor.
• Appearance of stressful events or recent conflicts.

4. Trance and possession disorders

In the disorder of trance and possession originates a forgetfulness of one's own personal identity and awareness of the environment. during the crisis the patient behaves as if possessed by another person, by a spirit or by a superior force.

With regard to movement, these patients usually manifest a set or combination of highly expressive movements and displays.

This category only includes those involuntary trance states that occur outside of culturally accepted ceremonies or rites.

5. Dissociative disorders of voluntary motility and sensation

In this alteration, the patient represents suffering from some somatic ailment for which an origin cannot be found. Symptoms are usually a representation of what the patient believes the disease to be, but they do not have to adjust to the real symptoms of this.

In addition, like the rest of conversion disorders, after a psychological evaluation, a traumatic event, or a series of them, is revealed. In addition, in most cases secondary motivations are discovered, such as a need for care or dependency, avoidance of responsibilities or unpleasant conflicts for the patient.

In this case, the keys to diagnosis are:

• There is no evidence of the existence of a somatic disease.
• Precise knowledge of the environment and psychological characteristics of the patient that lead to the suspicion that there are reasons for the appearance of the disorder.

6. Dissociative motility disorders

In these cases, the patient manifests a series of difficulties in mobility, coming to suffer in some cases a total loss of mobility or paralysis of some extremity or extremities of the body.

These complications can also manifest as ataxia or coordination difficulties; in addition to shakes and small tremors that can affect any part of the body.

7. dissociative seizures

In dissociative seizures the symptoms can mimic those of an epileptic seizure. However, in this disorder there is no loss of consciousness, but rather a small state of dullness or trance.

8. Anesthesias and dissociative sensory losses

In dissociative sensory deficits, problems of lack of skin sensitivity, or alterations in any of the senses cannot be explained or justified by a somatic or organic condition. In addition, this sensory deficit may be accompanied by paresthesias or skin sensations with no apparent cause.

9. mixed dissociative disorder

This category includes patients who have a combination of some of the above disorders.

10. Other dissociative disorders

There are a number of dissociative disorders that cannot be categorized in the previous classifications:

• Ganser's syndrome
• Multiple personality disorder
• Transient conversion disorder of childhood and adolescence
• Other specified conversion disorders

Finally, there is another category called Conversion Disorder No Specification, which includes those people with dissociative symptoms but who do not meet the requirements for the previous classifications.