[Conversion symptoms of patients in psychiatric liaison care]

At the consultation-psychiatric service of a large university hospital conversion disorders present ca. 50% of the "somatoform disorders". The rate of incidence of conversion disorders was 4% of all patients seen in the service, i.e. 20-30 referrals per annum. A report on 103 patients referred during 1987-1990 is given concerning basic sociodemographic data, symptom clusters, course of illness, age at onset of the disorder, psychiatric and family history, psychosocial conditions and intrapsychic conflicts, additional affective disorders and psychophysiological symptoms, illness behaviour, cognitive attitudes towards illness. The rate of 35% patients showing an underlying somatic disorder in addition to their conversion symptoms had to be appreciated. Possible relations of conversion disorders to affective illness, somatization disorder and neurologic disease had to be discussed as to course of illness and theoretical concepts.