New study examines Freud's theory of hysteria
This research is the first to robustly assess this key theory on what is now known as Conversion Disorder (CD) or, increasingly, as Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). CD is a complex and much misunderstood disorder at the interface of neurology and psychiatry. Neurological symptoms occur in the absence of identifiable neurological disease and the disorder has historically been assumed to be psychological in origin -- although this is being increasingly challenged. It is one of the most frequent causes of neurological symptoms but receives a fraction of the research attention of other common and disabling disorders, such as Multiple Sclerosis. As a result, the causes of CD remains largely unknown and there are few effective treatments. This study of 43 CD patients with physical weakness, 28 depression patients and 28 healthy controls used the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule ( LEDS ) -- the most robust method for detecting, categorising and rating severity of stressors ...