Functional Neurological Disorder
Functional Neurological Disorder
Patients are generally referred to Mary Free Bed through a variety of different ways and can include referrals from providers, acute care hospitals and care managers. Patients also have the ability to self refer for needed services.
What is Functional Neurological Disorder?
Functional neurological disorder (FND) describes neurological symptoms, which may include:
- Problems with motor symptoms like tremors, jerks, spasms, weaknesses or difficulty walking
- Sensory symptoms like numbness, tingling, pain or dizziness
- Abnormal speech patterns like garbled speech, foreign accents or talking like a baby
- Problems with fatigue, thinking, memory or concentration
FND is caused by problems with how the brain functions, which can be thought of as a problem with the “software” of the brain. This is different from other neurologic conditions such as multiple sclerosis or stroke, where we see problems with the “hardware” of the nervous system on an MRI scan. It is like an out of tune piano where the keys and the strings are miscommunicating and need to be adjusted. The diagnosis of FND is based on clinical examinations. Blood and imaging tests are usually normal, and typically not required to make the diagnosis.
It is important to know that your symptoms are real and not purposefully produced and may not be the same as others with FND. These symptoms can cause disability and distress but are treatable.
What causes FND?
There are many reasons why an individual may be susceptible to FND. These should be thought of as risk factors and not direct causes. We break these reasons down into three groups:
- Predisposing factors: Things that happened before the symptoms started
- Precipitating factors: Things that happened at the time the symptoms started
- Perpetuating factors: Things that happened after the symptoms started
Each of these can be broken down further into biological, psychological, and social factors. Biological factors include being female or having other medical conditions like neurodivergence, hypermobility, mood disorders, or chronic pain. Psychological factors include how you personally interpret symptoms or information. Things like avoidance behavior, and fear of movement. Social factors could be stressful work or home environments. It is unclear why some people develop FND while others with similar conditions do not. The fact that you are here means you stand a good chance to improve your functional disorder symptoms.
What do I do now?
Your provider will work with you to come up with a plan that will help you manage your FND. This may entail a self-directed program you can do on your own. It may be a full multidisciplinary program involving psychology, physical therapy, occupational therapy and medical provider guidance. Treatment may involve gradual exposure to movements and activities and cognitive behavioral therapy to help you restore function. It may be some but not all these pieces without the others. Depending on what you might benefit from.
Please visit the following websites, which provide excellent information on FND and related symptoms:
Resources
Information About Functional Neurological Disorder
FND Patient Advocacy Organizations
FND Factsheets
FND Rehabilitation Guidelines (Consider sharing these with your current providers)
Books
Sleep Resources
Mental Health Resources
Mental Health Apps
References
Alberta health services handout accessed 6/18/2026.
- Stone J, Carson A, Duncan R, et al. Symptoms ‘unexplained by organic disease’ in 1144 new neurology out-patients: how often does the diagnosis change at follow-up? Brain (Bacau) 2009;132:2878–88. doi: 10.1093/brain/awp220. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ahmad O, Ahmad KE. Functional neurological disorders in outpatient practice: An Australian cohort. J Clin Neurosci. 2016;28:93–6. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2015.11.020. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
What’s happening at Mary Free Bed?
