Brief Therapy of Conversion Reactions: An In-Hospital Technique

This paper describes a treatment method for conversion phenomena, reactions that present special technical difficulties. The strategy focuses the patient's attention on the fact that his symptoms are psychologically motivated and reduces opportunity for secondary gain. The author reports data from a clinical trial in which the special treatment regimen was compared with a variety of other treatment methods; he cautions that early identification and treatment are necessary to prevent the symptom complex from becoming a permanent feature of the patient's mental life.