Mental health articles

How to Treat Conversion Disorder What to do immediately

• Make sure that the symptoms are not caused by a medical illness.

• Explain to the family that there is no life-threatening illness. However, do not make them think

that the person is pretending to be sick.

• Symptoms often resolve quickly, within hours or a few days. Use this time to establish rapport.

Do not appear too concerned about the symptoms themselves. Focus, instead, on the stresses

the person is facing.

• The key to quick improvement is the person talking openly about her worries or stresses and

accepting that the symptoms may be related to these life difficulties.

• Encourage the person to think of ways of solving her problems.

• Advise against hospitalisation or prolonged rest. These may only convince the person that the

illness is a serious physical illness and may prolong the symptoms.

• Avoid any medication.

• Treat people who are depressed as suggested elsewhere.

How to Treat Conversion Disorder When to refer

You should refer:

• if symptoms have lasted more than a week;

• if the person has a high fever, is known to have diabetes or has high blood pressure;

• if the person is injured during an attack of the symptoms or if he has not been taking food or

fluids for 24 hours.

How to Treat Conversion Disorder What to do later

Ask the person to visit after a week and then, depending on how she feels, review her again every

month for three months. This will help you to build a relationship with her and assess how well

she is coping with her difficulties.

Tags: conversion disorder, disorder