A stress-system model for functional neurological symptoms

In “Physical Precipitating Factors in Functional Movement Disorders” (2014), Pareés et al. present a Bayesian approach to functional neurological symptom disorder (FND) and the role that physical events potentially play in triggering functional neurologic symptoms in adults. In this letter we quickly review our own, similar findings with children and adolescents, describe a stress-system model of FND, and suggest that, from a clinical perspective, this model is especially useful in explaining functional neurological symptoms to child and adolescent patients and families.