Conversion Disorder (CD) in children is defined as a disorder characterized by the presence of symptoms that cannot be fully explained by one or more physical diseases affecting voluntary motor or sensory functions that arise as a result of psychological conflict or need in the inner world of the person or inability to adapt to the environment and reality.
Conversion Disorder in Children is literally 'conversion'. In other words, the person here translates his/her internal problems that he/she cannot overcome or the problems related to the environment that he/she cannot adapt to into physical findings.
Conversion Disorder in Children;
- Motor
- Sensory
- Non-epileptic (neurological) seizures
- Mixed type
It is divided into 4 subtypes.
Among the motor findings;
- Arm
- Findings ranging from sudden loss of strength in the legs or trunk to no grip at all, being as if under anesthesia among neurological findings
- Numbness of the skin
- Blindness
- Examples of non-epileptic seizures include fainting.
In conversion disorder in children; there is a temporal relationship with the appearance of one or more physical symptoms and signs;
- Family conflicts
- Friend conflicts
- Social stressors
- Academic or work-related difficulties
- The presence of psychological stressors such as loss or trauma are important components.
Symptoms may appear immediately after the psychological stressor or hours, days or weeks later. In this way, the child or adolescent gets rid of his/her internal conflict or the external situation that he/she cannot tolerate by turning it into physical symptoms, and at the same time, the responsibility and expectation on him/her are removed, in other words, he/she gains secondary gain. Although conversion disorder (CD) in children can be seen at any age from early childhood to the 90s, it is reported to be most common between the ages of 15-35. While CID is seen equally between boys and girls before puberty, it starts to be seen 2-19 times more frequently in girls after puberty. Studies have reported that living in rural areas, low socioeconomic conditions, low educational level, insufficient insight and low intelligence level are risk factors that increase the frequency of conversion disorder.
It should be kept in mind that conversion disorder is not an imitation of a disease, but a psychiatric disorder that is caused by internal conflicts in the subconscious of the person and stressors in the environment that the person cannot bear and cannot cope with, and manifests itself as physical findings. It should also be kept in mind that it is quite common for conversion disorder to be accompanied by another mental disorder. These children and adolescents are usually overly sensitive and fragile, may have problems expressing themselves verbally due to their sensitivity and shyness, have a high need for love and attention compared to their peers, are easily demoralized and often perceive events negatively. Since the disorder can be caused by many internal and external reasons, the families of our children and adolescents with such complaints should consult a specialist without delay and initiate the process in order to provide support and counseling to the family and to provide the necessary support to our child or adolescent in terms of social support, communication techniques, stress perception and developing a positive perspective on events.