Motor conversion disorder in children and adolescents: clinical features and rehabilitation treatment Cover Image

Motorički konverzivni poremećaj kod djece i adolescenata: klinička obilježja i rehabilitacijski tretman
Motor conversion disorder in children and adolescents: clinical features and rehabilitation treatment

Author(s): Ewa Domka, Elżbieta Jopek
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Psychology, Sociology, Health and medicine and law
Published by: Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Edukacijsko-rehabilitacijski fakultet
Keywords: motor conversion disorders; children; adolescents; rehabilitation

Summary/Abstract: Motor conversion disorder (CD) is a rare but very severe medical problem in children and adolescents. It often causes a risk of long-term disability, social restrictions, educational problems, increased psychiatric morbidity such as anxiety and depression, and the symptoms of pain and fatigue. Proper diagnosis and treatment coupled with strict compliance on the part of the patient and his family during therapy have a major impact on quick recovery. The most effective way of curing motor CD is to introduce simultaneously a multimodal treatment consisting of individual and family psychotherapy, education, physiotherapy procedures based on modifi ed behavioral principles, and pharmacology for co-morbid anxiety and depression disorders. A necessary condition for therapeutic success is to convince the child’s parents that the symptoms are psychogenic. This helps to gain their best cooperation. As conversion disorders are usually associated with a signifi cant burden for the child, family, and the health care system, we decided to draw attention in this article to the importance of multimodal rehabilitation procedures in motor CD treatment in order to achieve optimal therapeutic results.

  • Issue Year: 52/2016
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 95-103
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: English