Functional neurological disorders in personal injury

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Reuse permitted under CC BYNC. No commercial reuse. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. THE EXPERT REPORT The structure of the expert report and the role of the expert witness are beyond the scope of this article. However, certain points are relevant when considering a claimant’s functional symptoms. In the history section, it is useful to describe a typical day and the range of activities undertaken on both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ days; this is important in interpretation of video surveillance. It helps to include a brief vignette of the claimant’s life, including any childhood adversity, if relevant—they may be more at risk of developing functional neurological disorder (FND), for example. It is worth asking the claimant what they feel about the accident; if they believe there is permanent damage done, they are less likely to improve and if they harbour grievance towards the ‘perpetrator’, they are more likely to develop posttraumatic symptoms. 4