Similarities Between the Psychological Profiles of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Conversion Disorder Patients

The psychological profile of 17 Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type I (CRPS) and 20 Conversion Disorder (CD) patients were compared, using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and standardized, semistructured psychological interviews. Both groups presented abnormally high somatization scores. Low anxiety scores in both groups indicate that somatization may have served as a defense mechanism to bind anxiety. Depression was apparent in both groups, indicating that psychological distress accompany these syndromes. About one third of the participants in both groups presented comorbid Axis I disorders, mostly depression and PTSD. CRPS patients have traditionally been looked upon as suffering from mainly organic symptoms, whereas CD patients have been labeled as psychiatric patients. These results may indicate the need to reexamine the traditional classifications in respect to disorders that involve “body and mind.”