22 year old with possible conversion hysteria

[Jamiesl1986]

I was recently diagnosed by a psychiatrist with having severe anxiety and conversion hysteria, He prescribed me klonopin, but it doesn't help all that much. All this anxiety/panic stuff is pretty new to me. It first surfaced about a year and a half ago after losing about 60 pounds from diet and exercise. Symptoms first started with constant heart palpitations that scare me to death. I've ran to emergency rooms and cardiologists only to be told that my heart is normal with some very insignificant benign PVC's/PAC's. I still have the palpitations, but I am now experiencing constant visual disturbances(flashing trails of lights), muscle twitches and spasms, tingling sensations, eye twitches, fatigue, and tachycardia. All these symptoms vary from day to day. Aside from the psychiatrist and cardiologists, I have been thoroughly checked out by a neurologist as well to rule out MS. So do my symptoms really show a classic case of anxiety and conversion hysteria? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[whoa08]

Have you had blood work done?  Ask them to check your B-12 levels.  

I have a form of anemia (pernicious anemia)  that makes me unable to absorb B-12 from food.  The physical symptoms you have described sound almost exactly like what I experience when my B-12 levels drop too low.  

You also lost significant weight, so you could have depleted your intake and storage of B-12 from dieting.  

Not a doctor, but just something to think about!

[Jason Greenberg, Ph.D.]

Thanks for your post.  I am not in a position to confirm or refute the diagnosis you have been given, and I think you are wise to rule out other possible medical diagnoses before proceeding.  I would add, however, that if you are experiencing high levels of anxiety, you should be in psychotherapy in conjunction with the psychiatric care -- research has shown time and time again that the most effective treatment for psychological problems is psychotherapy in conjunction with medication.  And for the record, if the Klonopin is not working, you should let your psychiatrist know if you haven't already (assuming that you have been on the Klonopin for a long enough period of time that it effects could be felt).