Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Rajan, a grade XII student, has been aspiring for medicine as a career. He has gone through a lot of challenges on the family- front, like moving into a new house, serious health issues, financial setbacks etc. Suddenly, a week before his entrance examination, he experienced numbness on the left side of his body and within the next few days he was unable to move entirely. He was hospitalized and couldn't appear for the entrance exam. Doctors did not find any physiological anomalies in his medical reports but identified psychological causes of the problem. Later, he recovered and is now pursuing his graduation.
Identify the disorder that Rajan was diagnosed with.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Conversion Disorder
Option (1) Somatic Symptom Disorder — Incorrect. Here a person has persistent body-related symptoms, is overly preoccupied with them and keeps visiting doctors. Rajan did not have long-lasting complaints and worries; he lost a body function suddenly.
Option (2) Illness Anxiety Disorder — Incorrect. This is a persistent preoccupation about developing a serious illness, with constant anxiety about one’s health. Rajan was not worrying about a disease; he actually could not move.
Option (3) Conversion Disorder — Correct. Its symptoms are the reported loss of part or all of some basic body functions, such as paralysis, blindness, deafness or difficulty in walking. They often occur after a stressful experience and may be quite sudden. Rajan’s numbness on the left side, then inability to move, with no physiological anomaly and after a run of stressful events, fits this disorder.
Option (4) Panic Disorder — Incorrect. Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder of recurrent anxiety attacks with intense terror, shortness of breath, palpitations, dizziness and fear of dying. Rajan had no such attacks; his symptom was a loss of movement.
NCERT (2025-26): “Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders … Somatic symptom disorder involves a person having persistent body-related symptoms which may or may not be related to any serious medical condition. People with this disorder tend to be overly preoccupied with their symptoms and they continually worry about their health and make frequent visits to doctors. As a result, they experience significant distress and disturbances in their daily life. Illness anxiety disorder involves persistent preoccupation about developing a serious illness and constantly worrying about this possibility.…” “Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders … The symptoms of conversion disorders are the reported loss of part or all of some basic body functions. Paralysis, blindness, deafness and difficulty in walking are generally among the symptoms reported. These symptoms often occur after a stressful experience and may be quite sudden.…” |