Chennai: Kauvery Hospital in the city, successfully treated a 12-year-old girl from Mauritius, who was suffering from bilateral closure of her eyelids for eight months. The symptoms were indicative of Functional Neurologic Symptom Disorder or Conversion Disorder, belonging to the subtype of Psychogenic Blepharospasm.
Dr. Yamini, consultant psychiatrist, said, ‘The child was flown down to centres in Mumbai and Chennai for diagnosis, but in vain. Later she was referred to our hospital and she was diagnosed with the condition and appropriate treatment was initiated’.
Conversion Disorder is a psychiatric condition in which the body’s emotional and psychological stressors are converted to physical symptoms that cannot be explained by a neurological or medical condition. Psychogenic blepharospasm is a rare manifestation of Conversion Disorder where an individual suffers from involuntary closure of eyes. This rare condition is very challenging in terms of diagnosis and treatment.
Psychological treatment was initiated by the team consisting of Dr. Yamini Kannappan, psychiatrist, Aishwariya Ramesh, trainee psychologist, and Selvambikai, physiotherapist, based on a Biopsychosocial framework. Functional electrical stimulation coupled with psychological techniques resulted in a dramatic recovery with sustained resolution of her symptoms. The patient’s eyes opened within two days of the treatment, and the condition had sustained.