Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) make up a significant portion of referrals to neurology, maybe as high as 30%. However, misconceptions regarding these disorders remain across medicine, and patients are frequently dismissed as “faking it.”

FND are neuropsychiatric conditions in which patients experience neurologic symptoms due to a “functional” disruption of brain networks rather than a “structural” disorder of the nervous system.

On this episode, Drs Bigham and Omole speak with Peter Gill, a patient with FND. Mr. Gill describes his seven-year journey to diagnosis and his recent success with various approaches to therapy.

Next, Drs Bigham and Omole speak with Dr. Matthew Burke, a cognitive neurologist at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto and an expert in FND. They discuss the current understanding of the disorder, diagnostic criteria and therapeutic options.

Links:

Neurosymptoms.org

Functional neurologic disorder associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination

CMAJ

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Clearing Misconceptions about Functional Neurological Disorders

CMAJ Podcasts

Clearing Misconceptions about Functional Neurological Disorders