The journey to diagnosis and care of functional neurological disorder (FND)
This qualitative study aimed to explore participants’ experiences of being diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND), accessing EMDR therapy treatment, and navigating life after diagnosis.
Article Abstract
“Purpose: Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a common condition, associated with high disability and healthcare costs, and poor treatment access. This qualitative study aimed to explore participants’ experiences of being diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND), accessing treatment, and navigating life after diagnosis. Participants were drawn from a randomised feasibility study of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy for people with FND (MODIFI, Trial Registration:NCT05455450 (www.clinicaltrials.gov)).
Methods: Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data from eighteen semistructured interviews with participants diagnosed with FND.
Results: Six main themes were identified: (1) the process of seeking a diagnosis and initial relief from the physical struggles, (2) receiving a diagnosis of FND, (3) treatment for FND, (4) the burden of FND in day-to-day life, (5) the need to assert agency and return to normal, and (6) hopes for the future.
Conclusion: The findings emphasize the need for personalised and compassionate care for individuals suffering from FND, underpinned by increased service provision within the healthcare system.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
Pritomanova, I., Cope, S., James, B., Edwards, M. J., Smith, J. G., El-Leithy, S., Vanzan, S., Hogwood, P., Golder, D., Turner, K. J., & Billings, J. (2026). The journey to diagnosis and care of functional neurological disorder (FND). PLoS ONE 21(4): e0328321. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0328321(opens in new tab)
Date
April 22, 2026
Creator(s)
Ivet Pritomanova, Sarah R. Cope, Billie James
Contributor(s)
Mark J. Edwards, Jared G. Smith, Sharif El-Leithy, Serena Vanzan, Patricia Hogwood, Dawn Golder, Kati Jane Turner, Jo Billings
Topics
Medical/Somatic, Pain/Chronic Pain, Seizures
Extent
17 pages
Publisher
PLOS
Rights
© 2026 Pritomanova et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
APA Citation
Pritomanova, I., Cope, S., James, B., Edwards, M. J., Smith, J. G., El-Leithy, S., Vanzan, S., Hogwood, P., Golder, D., Turner, K. J., & Billings, J. (2026). The journey to diagnosis and care of functional neurological disorder (FND). PLoS ONE 21(4): e0328321. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0328321
Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals
Language
English
Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access
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