Case Study: An Integrated Medical and Psychiatric Approach to Conversion Symptoms in a Four-Year-Old

The need to include functional movement disorders in the differential diagnosis of children presenting to emergency departments

“…Similarly treatment of conversion disorders in children typically requires the coordinated efforts of many specialists (Keemink et al, 1993;Maloney, 1980). The need for patient education about conversion disorder (Abdur-Rahim et al, 1996) can be addressed by a multidisciplinary treatment team (Fennig and Fennig, 1999) including psychiatry, psychology, pediatrics (Friedman, 1973;Woodbury et al, 1992), family practice (Friedman, 1973), general practice (Friedman, 1973), neurology, nursing, social work, physical therapy (Brazier and Venning, 1997), child protective services, and special education. Written pamphlets (Benbadis, 1997), audiotapes, and videotapes (Lesser, 1997) are useful to help education patients with conversion seizures and their families.…”

Pediatric Team Meetings: The Mental Health Consultant’s Role

“…The educational function of the mental health consultant can be pivotal in team meetings, particularly when the focus has centered on medical issues. The consultant has the opportunity to inform the team of important psychosocial issues that may affect the medical outcome and response to treatment, as well as assist the team in considering an integrated biopsychosocial approach to address patient and family concerns (Woodbury et al, 1992).…”