What happens when you're experiencing very real neurological symptoms, but medicine can't explain what's causing them?
In this episode of Clinical Misfits, Dr Mary explores functional neurological disorder (FND), a term used to describe neurological symptoms that can include changes in sensation, speech and movement, paralysis and seizure-like episodes. She questions the language historically used to describe these experiences and what happens when unexplained symptoms are too readily dismissed as psychological or βall in your head.β
Dr Mary considers the relationship between these symptoms, the autonomic nervous system and trauma, particularly for neurodivergent people whose lives may include experiences of bullying, rejection, chronic illness, pain and other forms of trauma. She also discusses approaches used to manage symptoms, from medication and trauma therapies to sensory regulation, movement and other forms of self-care.
Throughout the episode, Dr Mary returns to a simple principle: when medicine doesn't yet have an explanation for someone's neurological symptoms, that uncertainty shouldn't become a reason to blame or disbelieve the person experiencing them.
Produced for the Autistic Culture Podcast Network.
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