Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a condition that affects the how the nervous system functions and how the brain sends and receives signals to and from the body. Symptoms are caused by a disordered nervous system where no damage has occurred.
The symptoms of FND are out of the individual’s control and the precise symptom presentation and severity varies from person to person. Some examples of symptoms include:
- Muscle weakness, paresis or paralysis
- Movement disorder such as tremors or muscle contractures
- Speech and swallowing difficulties
- Sensory deficits in vision and skin sensation
- Pain
- Seizures
- Sensory symptoms
- Cognitive issues
- PPPD (sometimes called functional dizziness, triple PD or 3PD)
- Visual Symptoms
Various risk factors for FND have been proposed and include exposure to psychological stressors, a traumatic event or a period of illness. These do not cause any structural changes in the brain or body, rather affecting the networks within the brain and body, causing symptoms to persist after the event and can often worsen over time without any intervention. FND commonly occurs alongside diagnosed psychological health conditions including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The diagnosis of FND is based on positive features and is not a diagnosis of exclusion of other conditions. Diagnosis will generally consist of physical examination, blood tests and scans carried out by Neurological Consultants.
Treatment is recommended to be multidisciplinary, treating the presenting symptoms and begins with establishing a two-way communication between clinician and patient to improve understanding and engage patients in their own treatment.
