Functional Neurological Disorders

Question 1

1. What is a Functional Neurological or psychosomatic syndrome?
2. Provide some examples of functional Neurological disorders.

Answer 1

1. Illness where the patient experiences physical symptoms that cannot be explained by purely physical explanations but have a psychological and possibly physical cause.
2. Chronic fatigue syndrome, Fibromyalgia, chronic pain syndromes.

Question 2

1. Define Chronic Fatigue syndrome
2. How does it present?
3. How may it be treated?

Answer 2

1. Functional syndrome characterised by chronic fatigue that is diagnosed having excluded all other possible causes.
2. Chronic fatigue worsened by minimal exertion, poor concentration and memory, altered sleep pattern, muscular pain.
3. Graded exercise therapy and CBT

Question 3

1. What is fibromyalgia?

2. What is the most effective treatment?

Answer 3

1. A functional syndrome characterised by widespread muscle and joint pain alongside chronic fatigue and sleep disturbance.
2. Tricyclic anti-depressants and noradrenaline

Question 4

1. What is somatization disorder?

2. What is hypochondriasis?

Answer 4

1. Where a patient experiences symptoms for which they continually seek doctors opinions and they always turn out negative
2. Where a patient becomes preoccupied with a serious disease and its consequences. They may repeatedly seek medical investigations to either prove they are ill or reassure themselves that they are well. May be secondary to depression or anxiety.