Clinical characteristics of conversion disorder in Jordan

Abstract EN

The objective of this study is to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of conversion disorder in Jordan, a total of 192 cases were diagnosed in accordance with (Dsm IV) criteria out of a total of 2840 patients who attended the psychiatric out-patient clinic during^ period of June 1998 and June 2000.

Conversion disorder is commoner in female patients (57%) who are youngl0-30 years, (62%) single (45%), of low educational attainment and about 68% were referred from emer¬gency room, the most frequent symptoms, were loss of consciousness (21%), pseudoseizure (21%), Decreased sensation (18%), hyperventilation (16%) and mutism (12%), the majority pre- sented with a single symptom (82%) and the duration of illness was less than 24 hours in (56%), Precipitating psychosocial stresses were identifiable in (85%),about (58%) had similar episode in the past, only (9%) had additional physical illness and in (58%) of cases had concurrent psychiatric disorders the commonest of which were personality disorder and depression