Have you heard of functional neurological disorder or FND?

FND can be a confusing, controversial, even triggering topic for many of us in the migraine and headache community - particularly those of us who have been exposed to a lot of stigma and medical gaslighting. It can seem like another way of telling us that our symptoms are "all in our head".

FND refers to motor, sensory, or cognitive symptoms caused by an abnormality in how the nervous system functions. It is a dysfunction of the nervous system's "software" (connection or function) rather than the brain's "hardware" or structure.

Dr. Jeffrey Staab, MD is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He is a published expert in the area of FND and migraine and understands how alarming the idea of FND may sound and how it can be misinterpreted.