Conversion disorder IS a legitimate diagnosis

February 3, 2012 at 1:08pm

I am intrigued and bothered by this LeRoy "mystery illness" case. What's really eating at me is the dismissal by some of the "conversion disorder" diagnosis. And I'm not saying that the victims, families, and their doctors shouldn't investigate this spontaneous outbreak of Tourette-like symptoms to exhaustion. Of course they should.

I'm troubled because it feels like some people are rejecting the diagnosis because of its psychiatric origin - as if conversion disorder isn't a legitimate affliction and it's somehow akin to labeling the suffers cuckoo. It reminds me of the days when they slapped a "hysteria" diagnosis on women as a convenient catch-all for all manner of complaint and then tucked her away somewhere.

In fact, there have been many well-documented cases of conversion disorder or mass hysteria throughout history. Some cases are amusing, like the rash of sightings of "Spring-heeled Jack" - a lecherous leaper who was said to attack women in the night - in 19th century London. Other cases are grave and tragic: like the events leading up to the Salem witch trials. And you could probably put the stories of ritualistic sexual abuse of children in the 1980's in a similar category. RIT professor John Klofas calls the latter an example of a "moral panic."

The point is that this disorder is as real as a heart attack. Minimizing or dismissing the diagnosis is the equivalent of telling people "it's all in your head," and if you weren't so weak, you could fix yourself. That's a giant step backward in mental health care and will surely encourage people to continue to suffer silently rather than get the help that is available and really does work.

Me, I continue to be amazed by what the human mind is capable of. Still so much to learn.

Comments for "Conversion disorder IS a legitimate diagnosis" (6)

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Zach said on Feb. 03, 2012 at 9:36pm

I could not disagree more, this "diagnosis" IS a government cop out. There is clearly something that is being covered up here. Anyone who says this is conversion disease, which is ridiculous to begin with, is a fucking moron.

LK Tucker said on Feb. 03, 2012 at 11:40pm

"The point is that this disorder is as real as a heart attack..." ... No it isn't. ...

What you do not understand is that all the disorders of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness - American Psychiatric Association) are names given to observed then grouped behaviors not diseases. No one knows the cause of any of them. Claiming that stress causes this "disorder" is just someone's unfounded opinion. There is no science to back any of the content of the DSM. They vote on that content at conventions. Unless there is substance abuse, brain injury, or testable brain disease, it's all guesses.

Forty years ago designers and engineers found a problem with human physiology when it caused mental breaks for office workers. The cubicle was designed to deal with the vision startle reflex to stop it by 1968.

Everything in the DSM was theorized without the knowledge that Subliminal Distraction, explained in first semester psychology, exists.

There have been outbreaks you mentioned but no one has evaluated those incidents and subjects for Subliminal Distraction exposure. Why? They don't know the problem exists. The SD incident that had similar symptoms happened at a Mahjong tournament in China. Twenty three participants had seizures that were diagnosed as Mahjong epilepsy. The crowded tables used for concentrating, planning play in these game tournaments would have been the "special circumstances" for SD exposure. Mahjong play had not caused seizures before and has not since. It was how the tables were arranged so that there was detectable movement in peripheral vision` for those 23 victims.

This is not mental illness. It's a design/engineering problem of human physiology, the vision startle reflex, and (usually) crowded knowledge work conditions. Students can create the problem if they study or use a computer where there is repeating detectable movement in peripheral vision to cause repeating subliminal failed attempts to execute the vision startle reflex.

Because it happens in the mind/brain at a level below thought, reason, or consciousness exposure cannot be consciously experienced.

If this is the problem in LeRoy, finding where the locations are for each student then making changes to stop it would allow the symptoms to remit with no treatment.

Symptoms will continue as long as exposure does. A simple pair of safety glasses with wide temple arms blacked out would prevent exposure in most situations requiring Cubicle Level Protection.If the exposure was at school and the student is home schooled exposure should stop. But if the major exposure was at home it may increase with home schooling.

On my site you will find that too close seating in classrooms, incorrectly designed computer labs, a large mirror in peripheral vision where the student studies, shadows of ceiling fan blades, or blinking lights on a computer that are swept through peripheral vision with a head turn can all cause SD exposure.

Once the student decides that detected movement in peripheral vision is safe they ignore it. That stops the startle but not the primitive brain function to subliminally detect threat-movement. That continues to happen and the brain continues to subliminal attempt to force the full startle. That series of events is a Subliminal Distraction, again, explained in first semester psychology under the physiology of sight and subliminal sight.

Read the "Letters" page on my site for a simple presentation of the unrealized history of the problem, VisionAndPsychosis_Net.

Yugoboy said on Feb. 07, 2012 at 12:40pm

I, too, feel the knee-jerk dismissal of the mental health diagnosis is wrong-headed. While it certainly is possible that there's some physical cause for these sufferers to behave in the ways described, I am quite certain that whatever the DSM is calling "Mass Hysteria" these days is also a possibility.
It could be a combination of the 2 - one or two sufferers of some physical cause, followed by more psychosomatic responses among peers and other community members (I understand an adult is now showing symptoms).

My point isn't to promote or reject one cause or the other. I'm not an expert, but I've got a little common sense. Rejection of ANY potential cause from the realm of possibility at this early stage is myopia brought on by fear of being labelled mentally ill, or of the sufferers being blamed.

Also... anyone who wants to know how the DSM is/was compiled should read "The Psychopath Test" by Jon Ronson. He's got an entire chapter on the history of the DSM. Eye-opening to say the least.

Anne Marie Corey said on Feb. 13, 2012 at 10:54pm

I, too, agree that this diagnosis rings true. Of course, ever medical avenue should be explored, but when is enough...enough? I live with conversion disorder everyday. It's real and it's debilitating, but these teens can get better if everyone stays out of the way and quits pressing for answers that won't ever come. convertthis.worpress.com

Marty said on Feb. 15, 2012 at 11:14pm

Here is something for your mind brain glasses. The illness is NOT confined to Leroy. There are cases in Corinth (250 miles away) in two female softball players that just visited Leroy last year and who didnt even know the Leroy girls had this til recently. There is a case in Bath, NY and three cases in Indiana (two band members and one female). Get out some history books and find one other case, just one of any mass hysteria event lasting 9 months. Or any school based tic disorder mass hysteria lasting any time at all? Got any? No I didnt think so.

Craig said on Feb. 18, 2012 at 4:23pm

"find one other case, just one of any mass hysteria event lasting 9 months. Or any school based tic disorder mass hysteria lasting any time at all?"

Find another case that received so much TV, radio, and internet attention. Consider the possibility that media ia is the vector in this case.

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