In the news
A collection of news coverage and public reporting on Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), highlighting real-world cases, medical perspectives, and ongoing discussions around diagnosis, treatment, and lived experience.
State Rep. Tricia Byrnes Is Looking for the Filmmaker Who’ll Investigate FND
Facebook Stories
Social media
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.
Christina Applegate's MS Diagnosis Was Wrong. Five Years Later, She Still Has No Answers
Quackademic
Christina Applegate reveals that doctors have withdrawn her multiple sclerosis diagnosis after five years of debilitating symptoms. Her disability remains, her condition has reportedly worsened, and the search for an explanation starts again. The case raises questions about neurological misdiagnosis and the danger of replacing one incorrect diagnosis with another.
Diagnosed with FND at 13, Eight Years Later Doctors Found a Chiari Malformation and Spinal Cord Syrinx
FND Nope
Moderator
Daniele Gray lost the ability to walk at 13 and was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder. Eight years later, an MRI revealed a 20 mm Chiari I malformation and a spinal cord syrinx requiring surgery. Was the underlying neurological condition missed?
Diagnosed With FND, Died From a Pulmonary Embolism: The Questions Allison Lawlor's Story Raises
FND Nope
Moderator
Allison Lawlor lived with severe neurological symptoms, received an FND diagnosis and later died from a pulmonary embolism. Her story raises important questions about diagnostic uncertainty, thromboembolic risk and why patients owe no loyalty to a diagnosis.
Diagnosed With FND. It Was Buerger's Disease. She Lost Her Leg
FND Nope
Moderator
Danielle Thomas reported numbness, worsening walking difficulties and legs that felt like they were dying. Doctors diagnosed FND. Months later, vascular investigations revealed blocked arteries, gangrene and Buerger's disease. She eventually underwent a below-knee amputation.
Diagnosed With MS, Then Misdiagnosed With FND. It Was Parkinson’s.
FND Nope
Moderator
Emma Tinkler already had multiple sclerosis when worsening neurological symptoms were labelled FND. After two years of deteriorating mobility, a second neurologist diagnosed Parkinson’s disease. Six weeks after starting medication, she was walking normally again.
Havana Syndrome: When an Unexplained Neurological Illness Becomes FND
FND Nope
Moderator
NIH researchers classified 28% of Havana syndrome patients as having FND, despite unresolved questions about the origins of their symptoms, conflicting earlier research and warnings that different conditions may have been grouped together. Does identifying a functional phenotype actually explain what happened?
Three Seizures, Three Accents, One FND Diagnosis: What Was Actually Ruled Out?
FND Nope
Moderator
A musician developed changing accents after reported seizures, a head injury and cardiac arrest. Doctors diagnosed FND. But what neurological explanations were investigated, and what evidence supports the diagnosis?
AI Helped Diagnose a Rare Disease. Why the Warnings?
FND Nope
Moderator
After parents used ChatGPT to identify their daughter's rare genetic condition, a BBC report emphasised the dangers of AI-assisted diagnosis. But what happens when conventional medical care overlooks the possibilities that AI can help uncover?
Jo Puckett's FND Story in the Daily Mail: Questions Worth Asking
FND Nope
Moderator
A Daily Mail article about Jo Puckett's experience with FND raises questions about diagnostic certainty, psychological distress, medical dismissal and the difference between wanting answers and wanting to remain ill.
Diagnosed With FND After Three Weeks: 200 Seizures Later, Doctors Found Severe Hypoglycaemia
FND Nope
Moderator
Diagnosed with FND after three weeks, an Australian teenager endured around 200 seizures before severe hypoglycaemia linked to a gastrointestinal motility disorder was identified.
