Increasing Awareness of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) among Various Stakeholder Groups to Enhance Patient Care
Through our capstone, we aim to improve the knowledge and perceptions of various stakeholders regarding FND, assess gaps in FND care, and determine areas for collaboration and support ultimately for the benefit of this severely underserved population.
Background
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is the most common neurological diagnosis that you might have never heard of. It is the 2nd most common reason to see a neurologist, representing up to one-third of outpatient Neurology visits. Unfortunately, society at large and many healthcare providers lack awareness regarding this highly stigmatized and misunderstood disorder, contributing to further distress of patients and families.
Patients with FND often exhibit a combination of various neurological symptoms from motor and sensory deficits to seizures and cognitive decline that are not compatible or congruent with other known medical conditions. The hallmark of FND is its fluctuating or waxing and waning pattern of symptoms, resulting from abnormal communication of neural networks. As symptoms of FND come and go, patients are unfortunately suspected to be malingering or faking their symptoms.
Diagnosis relies on clinical assessment by a limited number of FND-trained experts in Neurology and Psychiatry. As a result, the majority of patients endure a lengthy diagnostic journey (6-8 years), perpetuating patients’ diagnostic uncertainty and feelings of invalidation, while increasing healthcare utilization and costs.
A family member of a patient with FND has told us, “When you’re diagnosed with Parkinson’s, the world is kind to you. When you’re diagnosed with FND, the world is not nice to you,” reflecting the various medical, psychosocial, economic, and systemic issues surrounding FND.
Project team
TRP supervisors
See our community directory for more on committee members.