Abstract
During a 1-year period, 8400 patient presentations to a psychiatric emergency service were screened for the conversion symptom of extremity paresis/paralysis. Of 4220 unduplicated presentations, three patients had this complaint. These cases were reviewed and followed up. All had received a DSM-III diagnosis of conversion disorder, but in each case the patient's conversion symptom was attributed to organic disease. This had medicolegal consequences in one case and threatened legal consequences in the others. Although the frequency of this alleged conversion symptom was 0.07%, in reality it was 0.0%. Guidelines for the management of the alleged conversion symptom of paresis/paralysis are discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 177-181 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | General Hospital Psychiatry |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1991 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
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Cite this
Fishbain, D. A., & Goldberg, M. (1991). The misdiagnosis of conversion disorder in a psychiatric emergency service. General Hospital Psychiatry, 13(3), 177-181. https://doi.org/10.1016/0163-8343(91)90140-R