Conversion disorder presenting as gait disturbance in an adolescent
T. Quane, C. V. Chambers and D. Snyderman
National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md, USA.
Conversion disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis in which the loss of
function on presentation mimics organic disease. Although rare, it is most
common in adolescents and young adults. This report describes an adolescent
with conversion disorder who presented with progressive bilateral
lower-extremity weakness and impaired gait. As with all patients with
conversion disorder, prompt diagnosis without extensive testing was
essential to initiating appropriate therapy in this patient.
