It’s not all in their heads — but that’s what they’re told.
A baffling brain disorder leaves people shaking, stumbling and sometimes completely blacking out, only to be doubted by doctors, friends and even family.
The condition, which is called functional neurological disorder (FND), scrambles the brain’s communication with the body, leading to real and often disabling symptoms that look fake to the untrained eye.
FND can cause sudden tremors, tingling, paralysis, vision loss and seizures, but — unlike classic neurological diseases like epilepsy or multiple sclerosis (MS) — it doesn’t show up clearly on brain scans.
That medical blind spot means many patients are misdiagnosed, dismissed or even accused of making it all up.
Despite affecting more people than MS, FND flies under the radar, partly because it sits at the crossroads of neurology and psychiatry — a blurry intersection that leaves patients stuck in diagnostic limbo.
An estimated 10–22 people per 100,000 per year have this disorder, which disproportionately affects women and youths.
Researchers believe a combination of psychological stress, trauma and genetics can trigger the disorder, but no two cases look exactly alike.
Some patients develop symptoms after a physical injury, others after emotional upheaval — for some, it’s neither.
Treatment usually involves a team approach, blending neurological care with specialized physical therapy and mental health support.
But experts warn that early recognition is key — the longer patients are left without help, the harder recovery becomes.
The biggest hurdle? Stigma.
“The origins of the disorder are deeply rooted in the sexist history of its pre-scientific ancestor — hysteria,” Benjamin Scrivener, a PhD candidate in medical and health sciences at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, wrote in The Conversation.
Hysteria was a term used for centuries to describe unexplained physical symptoms — especially in women — that doctors attributed to an unstable mind as opposed to a real illness.
Over time, “hysteria” became a catch-all diagnosis for anything doctors couldn’t easily diagnose, and it contributes to the stigma of FND.
“Women with functional symptoms often face skepticism and dismissal,” Scrivener wrote.
“In some cases, significant harm occurs through stigmatization, inadequate care and poor management. Modern medicine has attempted to address these biases by recognizing functional neurological disorder as a legitimate condition.”
Attempts in recent decades to raise awareness for FND, however, provide hope that it will finally be able to shake off its unfair reputation and help patients receive the care they need.
