Posted on 19/05/2017
Evenings at the Florey - frontiers of psychologyConversion syndrome is a bizarre condition that is striking down young Australians. It is misunderstood and therefore often under- and mis-diagnosed. It is defined as a condition that presents as an alteration or loss of physical function suggestive of a physical disorder, but is usually presumed to be the expression of psychological trauma, one which causes errors in emotional information processed in the brain. Symptoms that may present in conversion disorder are paralysis, seizures, sight or hearing impairment, and loss of speech.
Presenter
Professor Richard Kannan
Psychiatrist Richard Kanaan is the co-head of the Florey's Biological Psychiatry and Mental Health division. Richard has special interests in unexplained syndromes and in schizophrenia. He is Chair of Psychiatry at the Austin Hospital and has worked across a number of disciplines, including neuroimaging, neuropsychology, philosophy, and social psychiatry. Richard’s current work focuses on building explanations for rare syndromes such as conversion disorder using functional neuroimaging.
