What are the Symptoms of FND?

The following symptoms may appear with FND, but they are not all necessary for FND.

The symptoms must be functional, meaning there is no physical cause for them.

Due to the functional nature of FND, these symptoms may come and go over time and may change when the individual is distracted.

Symptoms of Functional Neurological Disorder

Motor Symptoms

Tremor

Physical involuntary shaking, often in the hands, arms, head or leg (hands, head, body, etc) that may vary with attention or distraction.

Dystonia

Muscle spasms where the body part becomes stuck in an unusual position, such as curled fingers, clenched hand or ankle turning in.

Fixed Postures

When a part of the body becomes stuck in a particular position.

Jerks/Twitches

Sudden involuntary movements, often involving the arms or legs.

Tics

Fast repetitive movement or sound, similar to Tourette’s syndrome (a neurodevelopmental condition, often with a preceding urge)

Physical Weakness

The arm, leg or facial muscles not working properly, causing the body to droop or making it difficult to move correctly.

Sensory Symptoms

Tingling

Unusual pricking sensation in the skin, like pins and needles.

Tinnitus

Unexplained sounds heard by the individual, such as a constant noise, ringing, or whirring.

Numbness

A loss of feelings or sensations in a part of the body.

Vision Loss

Struggling to see clearly, sometimes associated with specific objects.

Hearing Loss

Struggling to hear clearly, sometimes associated with specific sounds.

Speech Disturbance

Inability to speak in a clear and fluent manner, such as slurred speech, stuttering, or planning mouth movements (apraxia)

Other Symptoms

Gait Impairment

Abnormal changes in how the person walks, such as shuffling, dragging the feet, losing balance or taking uneven steps.

Dizziness

“Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness” (PPPD). It may worsen with walking or in crowded environments.

Cognitive Issues

Problems with memory, recognising familiar people or objects, finding words, and concentrating. (requires objective testing)

Seizures

Non-epileptic seizures that may last for 5 minutes of more.

Drop Attacks

Falling to the ground without losing consciousness.

Dissociation

Feeling as though you are separate from your body.

DSM-5 Definitions of FND

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is often considered the holy grail of medical definitions. We’re currently on version 5, which means the previous versions weren’t totally correct. More versions are planned. The DSM, and the approach used to create symptom based syndromes (rather than being real disorders based on biological markers) has been challenged in great books, such as those by James Davies.

DSM‐5 lists seven FND symptom types:

Weakness or paralysis
Abnormal movement
Swallowing symptoms
Speech symptoms
Attacks or seizures
Anesthesia or sensory loss
Special sensory symptoms

Previous versions of the DSM required there to be a psychological stressor, but this has now been removed. Although we believe “biopsychosocial allostatic loads” (aka something making life particularly difficult) is likely to be a key factor in most cases of FND.

Diagnosis

If you have just started experiencing any of these symptoms, you must contact a medical practitioner as soon as possible.

While these are symptoms of FND, they can be symptoms of other conditions, such as tumours or strokes.

FND must be diagnosed by a qualified medical practitioner, who will rule out other possible causes for the condition.

Treatment

If you’re seeking help with FND, please book a free call to discuss our treatment options.