08/09/2025
I appreciate Dr Amir Khan bringing attention to Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), because it’s a condition that desperately needs more public understanding. But some of the wording falls short and can be harmful for people living with it.
Saying FND is triggered by mental health trauma’ risks reinforcing stigma. The idea that symptoms are imagined, or ‘all in the mind.’ Trauma is trauma. It is not ‘mental health.’ Trauma is an event or a series of events. This could include illness, injury, abuse, loss, systemic harm, sensory overload, or stress. Trauma affects the whole body and nervous system, not just the mind.
FND is a condition where the brain and body stop communicating in expected ways, leading to very real physical symptoms. For some people, trauma plays a role. For others, illness, injury, or other stressors are more central. Often it’s a mix of factors. To reduce it down to ‘mental health trauma’ is not only inaccurate but dismissive of the lived reality of many people.
This matters because language shapes how FND is understood, believed, and treated. Too many people with FND have been dismissed, gaslit, or funnelled into services that don’t meet their needs because of misconceptions like this.
If we want to raise awareness, we need accurate, affirming language that reflects the complexity of FND and honours the experiences of those living with it.
