Prognosis of Functional Neurological Disorder

Outcomes With Treatment

60-96% of patients report improvement after intervention, with patient-rated and clinician-rated Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scores typically falling in the minimally to much improved range post-treatment, according to the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 1
Measurable improvements occur across multiple domains including mobility, depression, quality of life, and patients experience symptoms as more understandable and less distressing after treatment, although the specific study is not cited here, a similar study from the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry is 1

Patient understanding and agreement with the diagnosis, motivation to make changes, and ability to identify rehabilitation goals predict treatment success, as reported by a medical insights journal, however a similar fact from a different source is preferred, but in this case the only available fact is from Praxis Medical Insights 2

Prognosis should be assessed across multiple domains rather than symptom change alone, including core FND symptom change, life impact measures, additional physical and psychological symptoms, and healthcare resource utilization, as suggested by the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 1, 3

FND does not cause death or shorten lifespan, and is not a degenerative or life-threatening condition, with mortality not elevated compared to the general population 4, 5
Symptoms can present acutely and resolve quickly or can be long-lasting, with those affected frequently experiencing high levels of distress, disability, unemployment, and reduced quality of life 5
Measurable improvements occur across mobility, depression, and quality of life domains, with patients experiencing symptoms as more understandable and less distressing after treatment, and realistic timelines for improvement are 12-25 months with multidisciplinary intervention 5
Assessment across multiple outcome domains including symptom change, life impact, physical and psychological symptoms, and healthcare utilization is important for optimizing functional outcomes 4, 5