{"id":1591,"date":"2016-04-30T16:17:33","date_gmt":"2016-04-30T16:17:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/gps\/?p=1591"},"modified":"2016-04-26T16:24:46","modified_gmt":"2016-04-26T16:24:46","slug":"mysterious-not-unknown-famous-conversion-disorder-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/gps\/2016\/04\/30\/mysterious-not-unknown-famous-conversion-disorder-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"Mysterious but Not Unknown: Famous Conversion Disorder Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post is part of a series of guest posts on GPS by the graduate students in my Psychopathology course. As part of their work for the course, each student had to demonstrate mastery of the skill of “Educating the Public about Mental Health.” To that end, each student has to prepare two 1,000ish word posts on a particular class of mental disorders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Mysterious but Not Unknown: Famous Conversion Disorder Cases by Sarai Peguero<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Conversion Disorder<\/a>, also known as hysteria or functional neurological symptom disorder, is a mental disorder in the Somatic Symptoms and Related Disorders<\/a> category in the DSM-5. This disorder is characterized by underlying stress in the individual that is then converted<\/em> into physical symptoms that resemble a neurological deficit. Symptoms can occur as temporary paralysis or blindness, psychogenic seizures, or tics.<\/p>\n

\"6a0133f3a4072c970b0167624a7442970b-550wi\"<\/a>Conversion disorder recently gained popularity in the media with the girls from LeRoy, New York between 2011 and 2012. In this case, up to 20\u00a0girls all began to develop the same symptoms around the same time. These symptoms included tics, stuttering, seizures, and verbal outbursts and were debilitating to the girls lives. Girls reported missing months of school and not being able to function normally as they once could. When doctors were not able to find a neurological cause for the symptoms the girls were presenting, a diagnosis<\/a> of conversion disorder and mass psychogenic illness<\/a> was made. Parents were insulted by this diagnosis and felt the diagnosis was outdated. The guardian of one of the girls affected said to the New York Times<\/a>, \u201cWhat are we, living in the 1600s?\u201d Frustrated and afraid, parents took it upon themselves to reach out to the media to hopefully find the actual cause of their daughters\u2019 symptoms.<\/p>\n

Girls and their mothers appeared on the Today Show<\/a>, on Dr. Drew<\/a>, and received a huge amount\u00a0of media attention. News headlines about a \u201cmystery illness\u201d spread like wildfire. From news stations like NPR<\/a>, CNN<\/a>, and TIME<\/a>, to online blogs dedicated to Tourette\u2019s<\/a> and Autism<\/a>, everyone was putting in their two cents as to what might be causing this inexplicable illness. One neurologist suggested the girls were suffering from the theorized neurological disorder PANDAS<\/a> (pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with Streptococcal infections). The HPV vaccine<\/a>, a 1970 chemical spill<\/a>, and even demonic possession<\/a> were also proposed as causes for the outbreak. As far as environmental factors, the New York State Department of Health tested the water and soil at and around the school, and evaluated the indoor air quality and mold within the high school and found nothing<\/a>. Erin Brockovich also conducted her own investigation and also discovered nothing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Parents might have believed heading to the media would help them in their search for a cause, but media attention only worsened<\/a> the girls\u2019 symptoms. The girls who were appearing on television, doing interviews, and uploading statuses and videos on social media<\/a> were getting worse, while the ones who did not were getting better. The school district released a statement<\/a> saying they will no longer comment on student health issues due to media attention negatively impacting the students. Along with the statement, the results of the environmental tests conducted were also posted. After the media attention died down and the girls received \u00a0appropriate treatment<\/a> for conversion disorder, they all returned to regular functioning.<\/p>\n

This specific case of conversion disorder gained a lot of media and national attention, but conversion disorder accompanied by mass psychogenic illness is actually not that uncommon; there are numerous cases throughout history depicting this phenomenon.<\/p>\n