Episode 69. Subliminal - FND and the Power of the Subconscious Mind

In this podcast episode, I tackle the theme of functional neurological disorders, and I explore their almost endless types and diverse presentations. I particularly highlight functional seizures, noting their risk factors, their characteristic, even if diverse, presentations, the ways by which they may be distinguished from organic seizures. I also review functional movement disorders with a special emphasis on functional tremors.

I also highlight the negative attitudes by which people with FND are treated by medical staff, who are themselves often poorly trained in the condition, and the tendency for FND to be misdiagnosed. I highlight the principles of communicating the diagnosis of FND and the often negative emotions the diagnosis elicits in many patients and their families on account of the stigma associated with it. I also review the challenges that doctors face with making a diagnosis of FND, and the management approach to the disorder.

I illustrate functional neurological disorders with the books The Shaking Woman or A History of My Nerves by Siri Hustvedt, FiNDing Hope, by Jocelyn Bystrom, and FND Stories by Greg Rawlings and colleagues. The podcast also discussed the evolving scientific understanding of functional neurological disorders, and for this I cited the book by neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan titled It’s All in Your Head.

I also explore the fascinating history of the study of functional neurological disorders with reference to the role played by Jean-Martin Charcot, the acknowledged father of clinical neurology. In this context, I cited the book Medical Muses, written be Asti Hustvedt, which vividly captured the nature of hysteria, and the personalities of the famous hysterics that Charcot studied in Paris. This especially reviewed Blanche Wittman, Charcot’s most famous patient, and factors of her life that predisposed her to developing hysteria. I also used this text to highlight the less well-known positive contributions that Charcot made to the subject.