Personality, sexual adjustment, and brain lesions in patients with conversion symptoms

Abstract

To clarify the interrelationships of conversion symptoms, hysterical personality, sexual adjustment and cerebral organic disorders, 89 patients with classic motor conversion symptoms (group L) were studied, and a subgroup of 24 of these patients (group H) were compared with 24 matched control patients (group C). Hysterical personality was found in 19% of group L, 21% of group H and none of group C. Passive-immature-dependent personality was found in 19% of group L, 21% of group H and none of group C. A total of 48% of group L, 50% of group H and 58% of group C had some cerebral disorder. Patients with conversion symptoms who also had hysterical and passive-immature-dependent personalities were especially likely to have sexual abnormalities.