Understanding and explaining functional movement disorders

Abstract

Functional movement disorders are not uncommon in neurological consultations, hospitals and emergency departments. Although the disorder can usually be recognized clinically, the communication of the diagnosis is often unsatisfactory. Those affected are indirectly accused of alack of insight or openness but it is often the doctors who fail to formulate acoherent and comprehensible explanation of the underlying disorder. In this review an integrative model for the development of functional movement disorders is presented, which places the motor (and nonmotor) symptoms in aneuroscientific light. In addition, explanations and metaphors are presented that have proven helpful in conveying an understanding of the disorder.