How we can help with a diagnosis of functional neurological disorder?
How we can help with a diagnosis of functional neurological disorder?
Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a complex disorder that has been misunderstood for many years, so it is understandable if a diagnosis of this condition has left you feeling unsure or anxious. However, you may also feel a sense of relief of finally having a diagnosis that is able to explain your symptoms.
FND is a condition where you have a presence of neurological symptoms, however they are unable to explained by a neurological disease. These symptoms may include abnormal movements or behaviours such as tics, weakness in areas of the body, sensory symptoms such as loss of sensation, sight or hearing, and seizure-like episodes. Understandably, these symptoms can be extremely distressing and can greatly impact your life, so visiting us here at the London Neurocognitive Clinic is a great first-step to reclaiming your quality of life!
Within the neurological community, there remains disputes as to the causes or reasons behind FND, however common beliefs of the cause include trauma/stress, or difficulties in cognitive processing within the brain. On a positive note, however, as understanding has increased, there has been huge advances in the treatment of FND.
When you visit the London Neurocognitive Clinic, our experienced team of neuropsychologists and neuropsychiatrists can carry out a neuropsychological assessment, assessing your strengths and weaknesses in different emotional, behavioural, and cognitive areas. This assessment will provide us with a comprehensive account that will then guide us in providing your treatment. One form of psychological treatment that we frequently provide at the Clinic is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is currently the psychological treatment with the most robust evidence for an improvement in FND symptoms, therefore it has proven very successful in improving the quality of life of individuals with FND.
The basis of CBT when treating FND focuses on identifying triggers of an individuals’ physical symptoms. For example, looking at a behaviour, situation, or thought process that may trigger a seizure in an individual. By identifying these triggers, we can work together to try and weaken the effect of this trigger, hopefully reducing the frequency or severity of the seizures or other physical symptoms. Techniques such as relaxation or distraction may be employed to weaken the triggers effects. Unfortunately, many individuals with FND also struggle with mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety. Therefore, these psychological therapies can also help to identify and challenge negative thoughts or behaviours that may occur alongside these conditions. At the Clinic, we can provide you with helpful strategies and approaches that can help you achieve these changes in your thoughts, resulting in an improvement in your symptoms.
Receiving a diagnosis of FND can be very frightening, however by reaching out and getting support, our team of neuropsychologists and neuropsychiatrists can help you re-establish the activities you most enjoy and gain pleasure from! So please get in contact to book your free consultation and learn how we are able to help you.
