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Conversion disorder

What is conversion disorder in PTSD?

Conversion disorder is a mental disorder characterised by symptoms that cannot be explained by any known neurological disease. The condition is often triggered by psychological or physical stress, but this is not always the case. The symptoms include weakness and/or paralysis, non-epileptic seizures, movement disorders, speech or visual impairment, difficulty swallowing, sensory disturbances, or cognitive symptoms. These symptoms can cause significant distress and functioning problems.

What is the evidence for PTSD and conversion disorder?

Moderate quality evidence finds a medium-sized effect of increased rates of PTSD in people with non-epileptic seizures compared to people with epileptic seizures. Review authors suggest traumatic experiences may be a common risk factor for both PTSD and non-epileptic seizures. There were no reviews found that assessed other conversion disorder symptoms.

August 2021

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Last updated at: 12:34 am, 26th October 2021
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Title Colour Legend:
Green - Topic summary is available.
Orange - Topic summary is being compiled.
Red - Topic summary has no current systematic review available.