A conversion disorder

Interrogating the relationship between reading, writing and ‘conversion disorder’, this creative-critical essay explores the eversion of the glove in the work of Woolf, Genet, Freud and Derrida. Gathering together reflections on gloves and glove anaesthesia, doubles and pairs, and flowers and the death knell (glas), it offers a series of literary, philosophical and psychoanalytic conversions in order to return to and rethink the question of ‘disorder’

Psychiatric Symptoms and Dissociation in Conversion, Somatization and Dissociative Disorders

Objective: Conversion, dissociation and somatization are historically related in the long established concept of hysteria. Somewhere along the way they were separated due to the Cartesian dualistic view. The aim of the present study was to compare these pathologies and investigate whether symptoms of these pathologies overlap in their clinical appearance in a Portuguese sample. Method: Twenty-six patients with conversion disorder, 38 with dissociative disorders, 40 with somatization disorder, and a comparison group of 46 patients having other psychiatric disorders answered questions about dissociation (Dissociative Experiences Scale), somatoform dissociation (Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire), and psychopathological symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory). Results: Dissociative and somatoform symptoms were significantly more frequent in dissociative and conversion disorder than in somatization disorder and controls. There were no significant differences between dissociative and conversion patients. Conclusions: Conversion disorder is closely related to dissociative disorders. These results support the ICD-10 categorization of conversion disorder among dissociative disorders and the hypothesis of analogous psychopathological processes in conversion and dissociative disorders versus somatization disorder

Optical Spectra of p-Doped PEDOT Nano-Aggregates Provide Insight into the Material Disorder

Highly doped Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) or PEDOT is a conductive polymer with a wide range of applications in energy conversion due to its ease of processing, optical properties and high conductivity. The latter is influenced by processing conditions, including formulation, annealing, and solvent treatment of the polymer, which also affects the polymer arrangement. Here we show that the analysis of the optical spectra of PEDOT domains reveals the nature and magnitude of the structural disorder in the material. In particular, the optical spectra of objects on individual domains can be used for the elucidation of the molecular disorder in oligomer arrangement which is a key factor affecting the conductivity

Interaction-enhanced flow of a polariton persistent current in a ring

We study the quantum hydrodynamical features of exciton-polaritons flowing circularly in a ring-shaped geometry. We consider a resonant-excitation scheme in which the spinor polariton fluid is set into motion in both components by spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion. We show that this scheme allows to control the winding number of the fluid, and to create two circulating states differing by two units of the angular momentum. We then consider the effect of a disorder potential, which is always present in realistic nanostructures. We show that a smooth disorder is efficiently screened by the polariton-polariton interactions, yielding a signature of polariton superfluidity. This effect is reminiscent of supercurrent in a superconducting loop.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Conversion disorder - review

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenIn modern medicine the term "functional symptoms" is usually used to refer to symptoms where an organic cause cannot be found. Studies have shown that up to half of all patients consulting their family physician and approximately one third of all those attending neurology outpatient clinics present with such symptoms. These patients commonly go between doctors, repeatedly undergo unnecessary tests, even surgery, and various drugs are tried with limited success. These problems tend to be prolonged and greatly reduce the quality of life for the patients involved. Both the DSM IV and ICD 10 classifications include a group for the so-called medically unexplained disorders. Among these disorders is conversion disorder where patients present with neurological symptoms, affecting motor or sensory function, but with no neurological explanation. Here we provide an overview of the current ideas on the aetiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of conversion disorder.Í nútímalæknisfræði er oft talað um starfrænar truflanir þegar vísað er til einkenna sem ekki finnst vefræn skýring á. Rannsóknir hafa sýnt að allt að helmingur sjúklinga sem leitar sér læknisaðstoðar hjá sérfræðingum í heimilislækningum og um þriðjungur allra sjúklinga sem sækja til taugalækna utan spítala hafa slík einkenni. Þessir sjúklingar ganga oft á milli lækna og undirgangast óþarfa rannsóknir og meðferðir með litlum árangri. Vandinn getur orðið langvinnur og haft í för með sér færniskerðingu og minnkuð lífsgæði. Til er flokkun í bæði DSM IV og ICD 10 greiningarkerfunum sem inniheldur raskanir er fela í sér líkamleg einkenni þar sem ekki er hægt að sýna fram á vefræna orsök. Til þessa hóps raskana telst hugbrigðaröskun þar sem einstaklingar hafa einkenni frá taugakerfinu á borð við lamanir og skyntruflanir án þess að vefræn orsök finnist. Hér verður veitt yfirlit yfir nútímahugmyndir um orsök, greiningu, meðferð og horfur hugbrigðaröskunar

Multidisciplinary Treatment for Conversion Disorder in an 8 Year Old Girl

We present the case of an 8 year-old-girl with a 3-week history of visual conversion, inability to walk, intermittent urinary incontinence, and non-epileptic seizures. Although she had a history of shaken baby syndrome that resulted in hydrocephalus requiring bilateral ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement at 3 months of age, this current episode could not be attributed to any organic causes and hence she was diagnosed with conversion disorder with mixed presentation. In the absence of published recommendations for treatment of childhood conversion disorder, our multidisciplinary treatment team designed a biopsychosocial approach to improve her symptoms, strengthen family dynamics and provide her parents with guidance for a more stable home environment after discharge. She made substantial improvements in her ability to walk, resolution of urinary incontinence & seizure-like events, and a return to baseline personality; however, her visual conversion was not resolved. In summary, a combination of psychotropic medications, behavioral modifications and brief family psychotherapy was used in an inpatient setting for the treatment of childhood conversion disorder with mixed presentation

Enhancement of the conductivity of Ba2In2O5 through phosphate doping

In this paper, we demonstrate the successful incorporation of phosphate into Ba2In2O5, which leads to the conversion from an orthorhombic to a cubic unit cell. The resulting increased oxygen vacancy disorder leads to an enhancement in the oxide ion conductivity at low temperatures. In addition, in wet atmospheres, significant proton conduction is observed