CONVERSION DISORDER

General nursing intervention

*allow patient to express feelings; listen empathetically and nonjudgmentally. *monitor and report any new conversion symptoms. *encourage independence with self-care and assist with basic physiologic needs- such as eating, hygiene, safety. *provide a safe environment for patient's particular impairment. *monitor for suicide potential. *support family as the attempt to provide encouragement without providing secondary gain.

Selected nursing diagnoses

*disturbed sensory perception -kinesthetic- related to repressed anxiety. *bathing/hygiene self-care related to impaired ability to perform or complete activities of daily living independently. *disabled family coping related to disturbed family relations. *risk for disuse syndrome related to loss of function of body part. *ineffective coping related to feelings of inadequacy. *ineffective role performance related to physical conversion symptom.

Treatment

*thorough physical workup for each new presenting symptom. *psychotherapy to enable the patient to acknowledge and resolve unconscious conflict. *physical rehab for muscle atrophy, if indicated. *medication to relieve associated anxiety and depression.

Conversion disorder, continued

-can be a single symptom of a presenting illness that may migrate or vary in subsequent episodes. -can be multiple symptoms that severely constrict the patient's ability to function, resulting in actual physical impairment from disuse of body part.

Conversion disorder

Characterisics: *alteration or loss of functioning of a body part that isn't related to any physical abnormalities. *symptoms not under patient's conscious control. -may be either disturbing to patient or not acknowledged --la belle indifference. -classically mimic neurologic problems, such as paralysis, blindness, aphonia, and other sensory disturbances. -may involve GI or other systems. -appear to express a conflict or an unmet need; primary and secondary gains are in operation.