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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
conversion reaction
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
conversion reaction
by Marge__0, Apr 04, 1999 12:00AM
My 15 year old scuba diving, snowboarding, anything else Extreme
sports minded son had what he discribes as pressure behind his
right eye the night of Jan 27th and at the pediatricians the next
day we found he fell backwards with his eyes shut and could not
walk a straight line. The MRI done immediatly was normal, the EEG
was too.
This got progressivly worse (Quicker with over doing) till he
is now tutored - the school didn't want him injured. The main
problem is he falls backwards when he stand staight or tries to
walk - he does not feel dizzy and it isn't inner ear. Since his
knees started to
buckel he is in a wheelchair.-the nuerologist didn't want this
but he isn't living with this. He sleeps 12 to 14 hours, has lost
some cognitive ability, has headaches that 800 mg. ibeprohan
doesn't touch, needs tagamet most meals, has weakness in his left
side and a tremor in his right,and his right leg falls asleep.
He takes a 5mg. dexadrine spansual for ADD (3 yrs.) and 150mg.
Zoloft for depression (2 yrs.)
He went scuba diving in Feb. and even snowboarding but he got
so tired and got such headaches afterwards that he just had to
stop.
We are having a hard time accepting that this is in his head.
The nurologist is well known and we think his psychiatrist is
just going along. Is this a normal diagnosis? Should we be
pushing for more help or just going to the psycologist as these
two guys suggest? Thankyou for your thoughts on the matter.
sports minded son had what he discribes as pressure behind his
right eye the night of Jan 27th and at the pediatricians the next
day we found he fell backwards with his eyes shut and could not
walk a straight line. The MRI done immediatly was normal, the EEG
was too.
This got progressivly worse (Quicker with over doing) till he
is now tutored - the school didn't want him injured. The main
problem is he falls backwards when he stand staight or tries to
walk - he does not feel dizzy and it isn't inner ear. Since his
knees started to
buckel he is in a wheelchair.-the nuerologist didn't want this
but he isn't living with this. He sleeps 12 to 14 hours, has lost
some cognitive ability, has headaches that 800 mg. ibeprohan
doesn't touch, needs tagamet most meals, has weakness in his left
side and a tremor in his right,and his right leg falls asleep.
He takes a 5mg. dexadrine spansual for ADD (3 yrs.) and 150mg.
Zoloft for depression (2 yrs.)
He went scuba diving in Feb. and even snowboarding but he got
so tired and got such headaches afterwards that he just had to
stop.
We are having a hard time accepting that this is in his head.
The nurologist is well known and we think his psychiatrist is
just going along. Is this a normal diagnosis? Should we be
pushing for more help or just going to the psycologist as these
two guys suggest? Thankyou for your thoughts on the matter.
Doctor's Answer
by HFHS.MD-AJ, Apr 04, 1999 12:00AM
_
Marge,
I can understand your concern and frustration about your son's situation. With the information provided, its unclear if his symptoms (pressure behind the right eye, falling, difficulty walking, headaches, weakness, tremors, fatigue, and excessive sleep) are neurological, psychogenic/psychiatric, or a combination of both. Young depressed children may have symptoms that include multiple physical complaints, but this is an atypical presentation for psychiatric illness. However, some psychiatric illnesses, such as Conversion disorder could present this way.
It may be helpful to discuss your concerns with your son's neurologist and psychiatrist/psychologist for further clarification, or to seek a second opinion. You may also wish to refer to: Re: Conversion Disorder, posted by
HFHS.MD-TB on 2/22/99.
This response is for general information only. Always contact your physician for any health concerns.
Keywords: Conversion disorder, depression, psychogenic
