conversion disorder
noun
: a psychoneurosis in which bodily symptoms (such as paralysis of the limbs) appear without physical basis
called also conversion hysteria, conversion reaction
Examples of conversion disorder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There still has been no definitive answer, but most bets are on conversion disorder — a condition in which stress manifests as physical symptoms.
—
Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2022
After tests and scans, the diagnosis was conversion disorder, her mother, Lindsey, said.
—Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 22 Sep. 2022
Rare conditions can also result from stress and trauma, including functional neurological disorder, or conversion disorder, which affects someone’s ability to see, walk or hear — without any medical explanation.
—Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2021
It’s estimated that 10 to 15 percent of people who will show up in a modern neurologist’s office will be having some type of conversion disorder.
—The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 29 Sep. 2021
Perhaps coincidentally, as Freud's influence in psychiatry faded over the decades, so did cases of conversion disorder—to the point where some viewed it as a bygone ailment of the Victorian era.
—Diana Kwon, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2020
Coutlress has a conversion disorder that has affected her leg function.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 3 May 2018
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Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2022
After tests and scans, the diagnosis was conversion disorder, her mother, Lindsey, said.
—Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 22 Sep. 2022
Rare conditions can also result from stress and trauma, including functional neurological disorder, or conversion disorder, which affects someone’s ability to see, walk or hear — without any medical explanation.
—Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2021
It’s estimated that 10 to 15 percent of people who will show up in a modern neurologist’s office will be having some type of conversion disorder.
—The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 29 Sep. 2021
Perhaps coincidentally, as Freud's influence in psychiatry faded over the decades, so did cases of conversion disorder—to the point where some viewed it as a bygone ailment of the Victorian era.
—Diana Kwon, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2020
Coutlress has a conversion disorder that has affected her leg function.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 3 May 2018
Cite this Entry
“Conversion disorder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conversion%20disorder. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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