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My 11 year old daughter has been diagnosed with conversion disorder, she was diagnosed in July 2008. She had many
of the symptoms of conversion disorder, the not walking, not eating, not
socializing, etc. The biggest symptom that she had and this symptom is the only
she still has is blindness. All her other symptoms went away by September 2008,
all of them except the vision loss. She did not have any traumatic happen at
this time, well she was having a tough time at her summer camp and we went to
in law and I had gotten into a arguement and just a couple hours later the
symptoms began. We had a long summer in and out of the hospital with
psychosomatic seizures and the other symptoms mentioned above. I was told that
we "loved her to much" and I did not allow her to have any feelings other than
being happy, so she supressed all her negative feelings and they are manifested
in her symptoms. She saw a therapist for quite a long time, then we started
seeing a hypnosis doctor a hour and half away once a week for 9 months. There was not much progess, so we stopped going. Not sure what else to do. Some people have suggested EFT.... I can not seem to find anyone on the internet who was diagnosed with conversion disorder who is blind. I have no idea how long this will last or if it will last forever! Anyone have any suggestions? Thank!
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My son has disorder wioth paralysis he is 13, he had the blindness for one night. Did get a bit of relief from hypnotherapy. However the bad news is the longer he has it the worse the prognosis! As means he could have it well into middle age as he has had it 3 years.
March 1, 2014 - 4:39amThis Comment
Having been through the medical sawmill for the past 4 years with a family member who has been placed in the medicals worlds "conversion disorder bucket" which is pretty much anything neurological that does not show up on a MRI. My daughter has severe migraines that trigger blackouts and from time to time she will have neurological impacts after these blackouts , such as loss of color vision, loss of sense of touch, loss of speech motor skills. In my book it just boils down to medical science not really having any true understanding of the neuro chemical processes of the brain. It's not their fault. We are just not technologically ther yet. You can't see the flu with a X-ray and you can't necessarily see what's going on in the brain with a MRI. Just like a hundred years ago all cancers were the "consumption" , now days we have the medical understanding that ther are hundreds of different cancers with thousands of different causes. I have faith that medical science will also understand the neurological cause and effect that is lumped under the catch all of "conversion disorder". I know this post does nothing to answer your original questions, just more of a rant/support post to let you know you are not alone. There are also some doctors that leave the impression that is a "in your head issue" rather than just admitting they don't know. They are in the mode of wait and see or go to therapy with no real inclination of if a issue is helped by therapy or would have cleared up on its own. I will put away my soap box now.
July 9, 2012 - 12:31pmThis Comment
Hello Anonymous,
Conversion disorder is a condition in which a person has blindness, paralysis, or other nervous system (neurologic) symptoms that cannot be explained by medical evaluation. Symptoms usually begin suddenly after a stressful experience.
Psychotherapy and stress management training may help reduce symptoms. Physical or occupational therapy can help until the symptoms disappear.
I am sorry to hear that you have been suffering with this disorder for so long.
Maryann
July 3, 2012 - 4:57pmThis Comment
Thanks for answering so quickly. It is true all conversion disorder articles list blindness as a symptom, but I have yet to find anyone who actually suffered with that symptom. I have not looked at the support group and will check that out. I have viewed all the others and have even posted on MedHelp.... Thanks again for the quick response!
February 1, 2011 - 7:18pmThis Comment
How's your daughter now??my wife had cd
September 11, 2017 - 10:20amThis Comment
Did you ever find any help. My daughter has lost her sight from this as well and I have been looking for resources.
March 31, 2012 - 4:10pmThis Comment
Oh my gosh, really???? No, sadly not. Its been over 4 years now. We still have no answers, so we have decided after lots of therapy and hypnosis to just live our lives with her blindness. She is learning Braille and learning how to live life without her sight. This is so interesting, no one has ever responded to me on these things. Let me ask you a question. The eye doctor says Haley does not have conversion disorder because if she did her pupils would move when he did certain tests, however they can not explain her vision loss. All other doctors say its conversion disorder. What is her eye dr saying?
March 31, 2012 - 6:30pmThis Comment
i am 14 years old. I have had conversion disorder for 7 months now. I have been in the hospital 4 times because of weakness, inability to walk and blindness and fainting. I have recently been having seizures, anxiety disorder. I have been going to the counselor and she said to try guided imagery. it seems to help me get a grip on trying to control my body. I know its usually used for anxiety but it seems to help me control my body a little better or at least make me calmer when I have my episodes. but im soo scared of my body. if these symptoms sound like something else please tell me. I don't really accept this yet
June 26, 2013 - 5:37pmThis Comment
I have had conversion disorder for almost 10 years, blindness in my left eye was one of my first symptoms. The blindness lasted 6 months, although I still have sensitivity in that eye I have regained my vision. I also have problems with my speech ans motor skills. I have sought help but no one really knows what to do :(
July 2, 2012 - 10:37pmThis Comment
Hi michelle80 - In doing some quick research, every article I found on conversion disorder mentioned blindness as one of the symptoms, including this one.
Reference: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000954.htm
I found a support group for people with conversion disorder, and you may be able to find people who have dealt with blindness through this website: http://www.experienceproject.com/groups/Have-Conversion-Disorder/90580
This site provides a forum in which you can pose questions to doctors who specialize in conversion disorder: http://www.medhelp.org/HealthTopics/Conversion_Disorder.html
Mayo Clinic provides information on treatment which you may find helpful: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/conversion-disorder/DS00877/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs
I hope this information helps. Let us know if you have additional questions. Pat
February 1, 2011 - 6:57pmThis Comment