Functional neurological disorder
If you have been given an FND diagnosis, you may want to understand how it was reached and what support comes next. This page helps you prepare those questions without assuming the cause of your symptoms.
A neurological diagnosis that needs an explanation.
FND involves neurological symptoms related to difficulties in nervous-system functioning. Symptoms can affect movement, sensation or other functions and are genuinely experienced.
There is rarely one simple explanation for why symptoms develop. You do not need to find or disclose a particular emotional event to make sense of your care.
Based on King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust · Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
A diagnosis should connect findings with a care plan.
- Clinical findings
Ask what supports the diagnosis
- Other explanations
Ask what else was considered
- Care options
Discuss symptoms, preferences and goals
- Follow-up
Clarify coordination and new changes
Functional neurological symptoms are real.
FND concerns how the nervous system functions. Symptoms can affect movement, sensation, speech or episodes of altered awareness, with different patterns between people. They can have a substantial effect on everyday life.
There is no single universal explanation. A history of stress or trauma is not required as proof, and symptoms should not be dismissed as imagined. Other neurological conditions can coexist and still need care.
Based on King’s College Hospital NHS · Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS
Start with what happens and how it affects you.
Similar symptoms can occur in other conditions. This overview does not tell you which diagnosis explains your experience.
Movement
Movement difficulties, such as tremor or problems walking.
Sensation & strength
Weakness or changes in sensation.
Speech & episodes
Changes in speech or episodes such as functional seizures.
Other difficulties
Fatigue, pain or concentration difficulties alongside other symptoms.
A diagnosis should have a clinical explanation.
An appropriate professional uses the history and examination, including positive clinical features where relevant. A normal scan alone does not establish FND or prove a psychological cause.
Ask which findings support the diagnosis in your case. This page does not teach examination maneuvers or ask you to provoke symptoms to check them.
Clinical assessment
Your history and a professional examination interpreted together.
An explained formulation
Why the findings fit FND and what uncertainty remains.
Ongoing review
A plan for new changes and other health concerns.
Based on King’s College Hospital NHS · Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS
Clinical findings matter, not just normal investigations.
Assessment usually involves a clinician with neurological expertise, your history and an examination. Positive clinical signs can support FND; investigations may also help assess other explanations. A normal scan alone is not a complete explanation of the diagnosis.
Ask your clinician which findings supported the diagnosis and what else was considered. PHQ-15, anxiety scales and personality questionnaires cannot establish FND. An online movement or symptom challenge cannot replace an examination.
Based on King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust · Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- 1How was it reached?
Which clinical findings support this diagnosis?
- 2What can help?
Which options fit the symptoms and goals you want addressed?
- 3Who follows up?
Who coordinates care and what should you do about new changes?
An existing diagnosis does not explain every future symptom.
Sudden neurological changes may need emergency medical assessment. Do not assume new face or one-sided weakness or speech difficulties are FND because of a previous diagnosis.
For ongoing concerns, ask who coordinates neurological review and how to discuss symptoms that change or remain unexplained.
Based on King’s College Hospital NHS · NHS
Discuss the care that fits your symptoms and preferences.
Explore the options and ask what fits your circumstances and needs.
Based on King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust · Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Support should fit the symptoms and goals you have.
Depending on your needs, care may involve specialist physiotherapy, psychological support or a multidisciplinary rehabilitation approach. Psychological input can help with living with symptoms; its involvement does not mean symptoms were invented.
Understand the diagnosis
An explanation you can ask questions about.
Choose practical goals
Movement, communication or daily tasks relevant to you.
Match support
The appropriate professionals and approaches for those needs.
Review progress
Benefits, barriers and changes discussed over time.
Based on King’s College Hospital NHS · Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS
You can ask for help explaining the condition to others.
A clear written explanation may help conversations with supporters or other clinicians. Ask what information would be useful and how your preferences will be included.
If you have doubts or feel misunderstood, bring that into the appointment. Understanding the clinician’s reasoning and the plan is part of care, rather than something you must achieve alone before receiving support.
Based on King’s College Hospital NHS · Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS
You deserve to understand your care.
Functional neurological symptoms are real. You deserve a clear explanation of your assessment.
Your neurological assessment
Find support. Prepare your next step.
Explore a tool, prepare a conversation or find someone to talk to. Choose what feels useful to you.
Use the free guides to learn what to expect or find someone to talk to. If you need urgent help, go straight to the country-labeled support contacts.
Find urgent supportPrepare for a conversation
A few prompts to help you explain what you have noticed and what you would like help with.
- A simple notes builder
- Copy your notes to keep
- No account needed
You decide how much to write and share.
Find your wordsFind your next kind of support
Explore where to begin with everyday support, professional help or an urgent conversation.
- Ways to ask for help
- Country-specific crisis contacts
- Support at your own pace
If you need urgent help, go straight to support.
Find supportYour first sentence does not need to be perfect.
A useful starting question is how the clinical findings connect to the diagnosis and your proposed care. You can bring someone you trust if you want support in the conversation.
“Can you explain the findings that support FND and what care is available for the difficulties I am having?”Make it sound like you
Your questions, with room for nuance.
You can read just the answer you need.
Do normal investigations prove FND?
No. Diagnosis requires the clinical history and examination, with appropriate positive features. Normal tests alone do not establish it.
Based on King’s College Hospital NHS
Must trauma be present for the diagnosis?
No single factor explains every case. A psychological history alone cannot establish FND, and symptoms are real.
Based on King’s College Hospital NHS · Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS
Why might psychological support be offered?
It may help with the effects of living with symptoms and other relevant concerns. It does not mean the symptoms were imagined.
Based on Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS
Should new neurological symptoms be assumed to be FND?
No. New sudden neurological changes need appropriate urgent medical assessment, including when a person already has FND.
Based on King’s College Hospital NHS · NHS
Where this information comes from.
Use this hub to learn and prepare questions. It does not diagnose you or recommend a personal treatment plan. By Selfmora editorial; sources checked . Updated .
Additional explanations and examples: sources consulted . Examples illustrate ideas; they do not assess your personal health. Your questions
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