Should conversion disorder be reclassified as a dissociative disorder in DSM-V?

Richard J Brown, Etzel Cardeña, Ellert Nijenhuis, Vedat Sar, Onno van der Hart

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Pseudoneurological symptoms (i.e., conversion disorder), historically subsumed within the "hysteria" concept alongside phenomena such as psychogenic amnesia and multiple personality disorder have been classified as somatoform disorders since DSM-III. Since then, there have been repeated calls to reclassify conversion disorder with the dissociative disorders, as in ICD-10. The authors review issues such as the high correlations between pseudoneurological and dissociative symptoms, the high rates of trauma reported for both groups, and the position that these phenomena share underlying processes. Although reintegrating pseudoneurological symptoms with the dissociative disorders is not without complications, there is a strong case for such a reclassification.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)369-378
JournalPsychosomatics
Volume48
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2007

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Psychology

Free keywords

  • DSM-V
  • dissociative disorders
  • international classification of diseases
  • hysteria
  • conversion disorder

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