conversion disorder

I' m choosing to put this here as my symptoms are a result of anxiety. I am interested in others experience with this. The mind is pretty powerful.

It's kind of hard for me to answer you when you don't say what your symptoms are. I too have anxiety problems but don't know if we have similar symptoms or not.

I am looking for people who have had experience with conversion disorder.

Hello,

I was diagnosed with Conversion Disorder a couple years ago, although I would have never known that was my diagnosis if I had not obtained a copy of my medical records from a hospitalization that occurred and I didn't have any idea what had happened to cause this. I had become catatonic and EMS was called, thus my hospitalization. I have no memory for about a 4-5 day period. My admitting diagnosis: conversion disorder. It appears during the time I have no memory I didn't eat, talk, write, just stared. What I do remember is a feeling of "waking up" (this is hard to explain), and finding myself in a chair in the dayroom of a psych unit. I didn't know where I was or what had happened. I scanned my environment and guessed a hospital but still wasn't sure. Over a period of about a week I became my old self - only with a few deficits. At first I had trouble with my thoughts ---> speech. I would be talking and then have to stop as I couldn't get the next word out. This eventually went away. I noticed I held my right arm in a somewhat stiff position, this too improved and went away. The scariest thing that happened is I discovered I lost the ability to write. I went to write my name on a group sign in form and couldn't do it, my hand just made a weak line. I was scared at that moment. How could this happen? How would I return to work? Its not that I didn't know words or how to spell them, I couldn't physically write. I never told the hospital staff because it scared me and I was ashamed. I did confide in a friend who brought me pen/paper and every day I would practice writing my name. You would think I was in kindergarten! It actually took about one month before my writing looked somewhat normal. I practiced my name everyday, my signature, writing a sentence or two. Today, my writing looks exactly like it always has. After 10 days in the hospital I was discharged. My final diagnosis was Bipolar I Disorder, which was no shock as I have carried this diagnosis for over 20 years (I am in my mid-40's). So...that was my one and only experience with conversion disorder. My Doc thought it was triggered by stress, I am unsure of that? I was a bit stressed but definitely have had times in my life I was way more stressed and this never happened. My biggest concern: I have read that about 32% of people diagnosed with conversion disorder will have a repeat experience. I pray this never happens. It was embarrassing.

Thank you for reply. This is not as rare as one would think. It has been a very scary experience. I couldn't walk or talk. My writing was affected as well. My thoughts are still "off" a bit. I am not "fixed" yet doing much better. No one had any suggestions that could help me. Except my husband. He has been a tremendous help. I am still having trouble typing. I did notice that the more tired I get, the worse the symptoms seem to be. There is not much out there about this disorder which is why I was so happy to see your response. I saw a lot of doctors and they all agreed it was brought on by stress. I too thought I was doing okay with stress and was shocked to find out that anxiety could do this to me. I've been doing very well with my depression and anxiety, and did not expect something like this. I am very grateful you responded. I don't feel so alone anymore. I am doing my best to write my story down as this is not something I want to forget. I am getting better, but am so afraid it will return. I find it hard to live a life when you can't walk, talk, move, pee by yourself, etc. I just keep referring to this as my weird, strange, freaky experience.

I hope things get better as well, I know for me it was a gradual process with some things getting better faster than others. For example, after discharge I was unsure if I could drive. Once in the car, everything became familiar and it didn't end up being a problem. The writing was my biggest obstacle. Having never had this happen to me before or even know someone who had it, I too had difficulty finding information about it. My best advice is just take one day at a time and concentrate on the areas that are still affected. Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery!

Yes, my symptoms came on gradually so I figure they will leave the same way. I'm not ready to tackle driving yet. I keep having episodes where I "get stuck" and don't want to risk that in a car.
Things are so much better than they were in the beginning. I am so grateful for the little things I am able to accomplish.