Question

A nurse is completing a history for a client who recently suffered emotional stress over the death of a family member. What would the nurse expect the client who is diagnosed with conversion disorder to reveal?

Answer 1

A client with conversion disorder may exhibit symptoms like paralysis or numbness that have no physical basis, often as a psychological response to stress. These symptoms can also reflect the cultural framing of distress, contributing to their manifestation. Understanding these aspects is essential in diagnosis and designing effective treatment strategies.

Step-by-step explanation:

A nurse completing a history for a client who has suffered emotional stress from the death of a family member might expect that the client with conversion disorder would reveal neurological symptoms such as paralysis, numbness, or blindness that have no identifiable physical cause. These symptoms often occur in response to emotional conflict or stressors and represent a psychological response manifesting as physical problems. Understanding the cultural concepts of distress (CCD) can be helpful, as these help explain how different cultures experience, understand, and communicate mental distress, which can influence the presentation of conversion disorder symptoms.

In the case of conversion disorder, the client's symptoms are a result of psychological factors rather than any physical illness or injury. Symptoms can be exacerbated by recalling traumatic events, similar to how elements of post-traumatic stress syndrome are triggered by memories. Being aware of these cultural factors and the subjective nature of symptoms is critical for appropriate diagnosis and treatment planning. The symptoms serve as a subconscious mechanism to express emotional distress when the individual cannot cope with stress directly.