What Is Conversion Disorder?

Patient Prognosis

The majority of cases of conversion disorder are not severe enough to cause permanent disability or a shortened lifespan. The symptoms tend to come on and last for several days or weeks. It's also common for patients to experience a sudden reduction or complete elimination of these symptoms. The symptoms themselves don't tend to be life-threatening, but they can be painful and disabling. In cases where the symptoms cause blindness or other impairments, they can also cause affected individuals to end up in dangerous situations. The symptom complications can be debilitating even after the initial symptoms have cleared up. In addition, many conversion disorder patients end up getting several medical tests to look for physical or neurological issues. Some of these tests are invasive and can have complications of their own. With all of that said, most individuals with conversion disorder recover with time and reassurance. Evidence has shown around twenty-five percent of patients have recurring episodes or develop new conversion disorder symptoms at a later date.

Learn how to help a loved one with conversion disorder next.