Researchers at York University are searching for victims of conversion disorder to take part in a new study of the mysterious condition.
The disorder, also known as unexplained paralysis, can leave patients unable to walk, talk or see and can be temporary or permanent.
Initial studies have suggested it may be related to stress or chronic inflammation and is linked to memory and concentration problems.
Researcher Professor Christina van der Feltz-Cornelis said: This is a profoundly difficult condition for people to live with and one which is overlooked because the medical profession doesn’t have the answers.
“The condition leads to long term distress and people living with it often become very isolated, often losing jobs and social networks.
“Some doctors and researchers think it develops as a way for our brain to deal with emotional trauma or stress. However, that seems to not always be the case. An unrecognised inflammation reaction in the body and brain might play a role, but we do not know for sure. It is also known that stress and trauma can launch long-term inflammatory reactions, which by affecting brain functioning in complex ways might provoke physical symptoms. The concentration problems might be associated with the physical symptoms, but again we do not know the details.
“Treatments given to people with conversion disorder often do not help a lot with the symptoms. We need to find out more about the causes of the disorder so that new treatments can be developed, which we aim to do in the future depending on the results of this first study.”
https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/mental-health/projects/cando/
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