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Conversion (Functional Neurological) Disorders in Children and Adults: How to Recognize and Treat Them Effectively

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About the Course

Patients diagnosed with conversion (also known as functional neurological symptom) disorder (DSM-5) present with what appear to be neurological symptoms (e.g. movement disorders, blindness, seizures) but which occur in the absence of neurological disease. Instead, conversion disorders (CDs) have a presumed psychogenic origin. They are often disabling, dangerous, and can become chronic if not treated in a timely manner. These patients tend to show up in the offices and clinics of mental health professionals with regularity and can be one of the most challenging patients to treat since they present with numerous psychiatric comorbidities and can exhibit dramatic and puzzling symptoms. In this webinar, the instructors will discuss pediatric and adult psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, the most frequent CD and will present the audience with ways to recognize, assess and treat these patients. Pediatric and adult CDs differ considerably in terms of risk factors and effective treatment approaches and this will be discussed. Empirically-validated treatment approaches for adult psychogenic non-epileptic seizures will also be discussed.

This course is based on the reading-based online article, Conversion (Functional Neurological) Disorders in Children and Adults: How to Recognize and Treat Them Effectively created by Lorna Myers, PhD and Julia Doss, PsyD in 2020.

Publication Date:

Jun 2020

Course Material Authors

Course Material Authors authored the material only, and were not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

Lorna Myers, PhD
Dr. Lorna Myers is the director of the PNES Program at the Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group in New York and New Jersey. She is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist and has been working with PNES and epilepsy for nearly 20 years. She is the author of Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: A Guide which is a handbook for patients and loved ones. This book has also been published in Spanish and Japanese. All royalties from sales of this book are donated to a charity (Epilepsy Alliance of America) that offers scholarships to children and adults living with epilepsy and PNES. Dr. Myers also manages a website called www.nonepilepticseizures.com and writes a monthly blog on PNES.
Julia Doss, PsyD
Julia Doss, PsyD, is a pediatric psychologist with the Minnesota Epilepsy Group for the past twelve years and Training Director for the Pediatric Psychology Fellowship Program. She has devoted her clinical and research career to working with children with epilepsy, their comorbid emotional and behavioral disorders, and to patients with psychogenic non-epileptic events. She is currently conducting a multidisciplinary intervention and prevention study of the psychiatric/psychological comorbidities in new onset youth with epilepsy. Since 2008, Dr. Doss has presented annually at the American Epilepsy Society, has 6 peer reviewed papers and 4 chapters, she is a co-author of a book on the treatment of non-epileptic events in children.

Course Creator

Sandi Cardaman
Sandi Cardaman has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor for more than 15 years. She has worked with eating disorders, domestic violence and clients who are working with the dependency system.

Recommended For:

Counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists and social workers. This course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced level of knowledge.

Course Objectives:

After taking this course, you should be able to:

  1. Define and characterize functional neurological disorders including psychogenic non-epileptic seizures
  2. Discuss treatment options for patients with PNES depending on their psychiatric comorbidities and age
  3. Demonstrate competence in managing a patient with PNES in their office
  4. Specify similarities and differences in adult and pediatric conversion disorders, with a special focus on psychogenic non-epileptic seizures

Disclosure to Learners

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty: Sandi Cardaman

There are no relevant disclosures.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

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Course Retired
Course Number 102834
1.5 CE credit hour
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  • Reading-Based Online
Exam Fee $8.96
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Course Materials $45.00

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