Guillain-Barré syndrome leading to a conversion reaction in a teenage girl. Case report.

Abstract

Conversion disorder can sometimes simulate Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). This often involves the mimicry of organic symptoms similar to those experienced by a relative or acquaintance. The patient with the conversion unconsciously adopts these symptoms to convert their psychologic stress to a physical phenomenon. This case is of 15-yr-old girl who had a documented case of GBS and who subsequently had recurrent episodes of a conversion disorder that simulated her original GBS presentation. The methods for diagnostically separating recurrent GBS from conversion reaction are noted.