Misdiagnosis
Posts discussing cases, patterns, or concerns where Functional Neurological Disorder may have been applied incorrectly, prematurely, or in place of another diagnosis.
State Rep. Tricia Byrnes Is Looking for the Filmmaker Who’ll Investigate FND
Facebook Stories
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Missouri State Rep. Tricia Byrnes is seeking a filmmaker to investigate Functional Neurological Disorder. She says hundreds of families report children were labeled with FND before doctors fully checked seizures and loss of mobility, and that second opinions were blocked.
Maddie Aumann: From an FND Diagnosis to Maddie’s Law
FND Nope
Moderator
Maddie Aumann was diagnosed with FND before genetic testing identified a rare SCN9A disorder. Her mother, Christine Aumann, describes how the FND label continued to affect Maddie’s care even after that discovery, ultimately helping inspire Maddie’s Law.
FND, Until It Was Inoperable Tongue Cancer
FND Nope
Moderator
A 58-year-old woman with progressive swallowing and speech problems was diagnosed with functional movement disorder. Eleven months after onset, repeat imaging found advanced squamous-cell carcinoma. The authors say diagnostic bias from the FMD diagnosis even caused abnormal swallowing findings to be misinterpreted.
FND Hope's Founder, a Misdiagnosis, and Sneddon's Syndrome
FND Nope
Moderator
FND treatment is built around assumptions about why symptoms occur. But what happens when those assumptions are wrong? Bridget Mildon's Sneddon's syndrome and Rebel's later ALS diagnosis raise an uncomfortable patient-safety question: how safe is mechanism-specific treatment when the mechanism itself remains uncertain?
Inside the Reasoning of an FND Professional
Quackademic
We examined repeated public claims about FND made by an allied health professional who treats the disorder for a living. Some are supported by the literature. Others go much further than the evidence allows. The recurring problem is simple: evidence seems much better at confirming FND than disproving it.
FND: New Name, Same Old Problems?
FND Nope
Moderator
FND is celebrated as an area of medical progress, but how much has actually changed? Historical research reveals continuity with hysteria and conversion disorder, while modern diagnostic uncertainty and limited treatment breakthroughs raise questions about whether institutional recognition has outpaced meaningful progress for patients.
From PNES and Suspected FND to C1 Paralysis: Amy Wang-Hiller's Story
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Violinist Amy Wang-Hiller describes how suspected FND, a PNES diagnosis and repeated psychological attribution allegedly delayed recognition of tethered spinal cord, cervical instability and progressive paralysis.
FND Diagnostic Pitfalls: When Positive Signs Point Elsewhere
FND Nope
Moderator
A 2023 review by FND researchers acknowledges that Hoover's sign, distractibility, sensory abnormalities and other supposedly characteristic findings can occur in recognised neurological diseases. What does that mean for diagnostic certainty?
Two Years Diagnosed With FND Before Autoimmune and Genetic Findings Emerged
Reddit Stories
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A Reddit user reports spending two years diagnosed with FND and anxiety before investigations reportedly identified autoimmune and genetic neurological conditions. Their experience raises questions about overlapping symptoms, diagnostic closure, and why complex presentations may be interpreted as functional.
FND Diagnosis Reversed: Autoimmune Basal Ganglia Encephalitis
Reddit Stories
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A patient diagnosed with FND reports that a second opinion revealed autoimmune basal ganglia encephalitis. Their account raises questions about incomplete investigations, overlooked neurological findings and whether an unexplained illness was prematurely labelled functional.
Pernicious Anaemia Mistaken for FND: Paralysis, Urinary Retention and a Missed Diagnosis
FND Nope
Moderator
A 29-year-old woman with progressive paralysis and severe urinary retention was discharged with suspected conversion disorder. Further investigation revealed vitamin B12 deficiency causing spinal cord damage. The case raises questions about diagnostic anchoring, negative imaging and premature closure.
When Dysautonomia Is Found, Does FND Get a Free Pass?
FND Nope
Moderator
Seventeen patients previously diagnosed with psychogenic seizures were found to have autonomic abnormalities. When the study prompted claims that FND and dysautonomia can coexist, it raised a more important question: what evidence justifies retaining the original diagnosis.
