Hypothesis
A tag for speculative ideas, alternative explanatory models, and testable propositions intended to generate discussion and further investigation rather than establish conclusions.
POTS Found After FND: Comorbidity, or a Common Phenotype?
FND Nope
Moderator
An FND case report found objective POTS after years of orthostatic symptoms were attributed to FND, anxiety and deconditioning. The authors call it comorbidity. But the case leaves a more important question unanswered: are the “functional signs” really evidence of a second disorder?
The Diagnosis of the Gaps: FND and the Problem of Phenotype Overlap
Quackademic
Davenport et al.’s comparison of Long COVID, ME/CFS and FND has drawn criticism, but some apparent errors expose a deeper problem: when FND can resemble almost every common neurological phenotype, definitions can determine the answer before the differential even begins.
FND and Autism: Does Diagnostic Overlap Establish Comorbidity?
FND Nope
Moderator
A 2025 study found an association between FND and autism diagnoses. But historical diagnostic codes, unresolved differentials and the possibility of shared phenotypes raise questions about whether the findings establish genuine comorbidity.
The FND Dualism Debate May Be Starting With the Wrong Question
FND Nope
Moderator
A debate over whether FND is best understood through psychiatric, neurological or integrated explanations may be skipping a more fundamental question: what evidence establishes FND as a single underlying disorder rather than a recurring clinical phenotype?
When the Presentation Becomes the Disease
FND Nope
Moderator
Dropsy was once treated as a disease until medicine discovered that it was merely a shared presentation of many underlying conditions. This article asks whether IBS and FND may represent similar umbrella categories that future medical advances will eventually divide into more precise diagnoses.
The Falsification Problem: FND Resolved After CSF Leak Repair
FND Nope
Moderator
A patient diagnosed with FND recovered completely after surgical repair of a CSF leak. Why did the diagnosis remain? This article explores what the case reveals about comorbidity, diagnostic reasoning, and the falsification problem in FND.
The Common Phenotypes Hypothesis
Christoff
Spousal caregiver
An exploration of FND, positive rule-in signs, comorbidity, predictive processing, diagnostic closure, and whether functional symptoms may reflect common phenotypes arising from multiple underlying conditions.
ALS or FND? The Troubling Case of Tanea "Rebel" Brooks
X stories
Social media
Tanea "Rebel" Brooks has faced a devastating battle with lymphoma and a terminal ALS diagnosis. This piece explores her difficult medical journey and raises the question I’ve been wondering about: Could Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) be playing a role in misdiagnosis or diagnostic confusion?
The Belief Prerequisite: How FND Treatment Echoes Faith Healing
Christoff
Spousal caregiver
One of the most striking things you notice when you first start reading the literature on FND is how crucial it is considered for patients to accept and believe in the diagnosis. Without that belief, treatment is often regarded as futile. They simply will not get better.
FND's Flawed Analogy: When 'Software' Problems can Hide Undetected Hardware Damage
Christoff
Spousal caregiver
One of the most common analogies that you would come across within FND literature is the software/hardware analogy.
