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A New South Wales-first tertiary clinical program has significantly improved the quality of life of a young woman diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND).

21-year-old Grace Corkhill, from regional New South Wales, had a cerebral artery aneurysmal rupture in 2013 that caused a stroke. She was then diagnosed with epilepsy and developed FND in part related to the original trauma of her significant health issues.

Thought to develop due to a 鈥榙isconnect鈥� in signalling between the brain and the rest of the body, FND can present with a variety of neurological symptoms that include seizure-like attacks, weakness, sensory disturbances, tremor, brain fog and issues with speech, walking and vision.

It is often accompanied by chronic pain, fatigue and various other distressing symptoms. One Australian study noted that approximately 1 in 6 people who see a neurologist will be diagnosed with FND, with many patients stigmatised for having a condition that is poorly understood.

Grace鈥檚 disorder manifested in intermittent, involuntary attacks of shakes in her limbs and body, which left her housebound and terrified.

鈥淚 struggled significantly with the fact that I couldn鈥檛 pinpoint a trigger to the shakes,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 became very anxious about it happening in public.

鈥淧retty soon I stopped work and just stayed home, which in turn impacted my mental health.鈥�

The at Prince of Wales 黑料吃瓜群网 in Sydney brings together specialists from different disciplines, including neurology, rehabilitation medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychology, to develop individual programs that respond to patients鈥� own treatment priorities for FND.

Dr Adith Mohan, a neuropsychiatrist and Head of the clinic, said that 鈥渋ts success thus far has been extraordinary, with most patients treated through the clinic showing clinical and functional benefit鈥�.

鈥淭he loss of hope in FND patients is common,鈥� Mohan said.

鈥淚n Grace鈥檚 situation and in the absence of intervention, her symptoms would likely have become persistent and made living her life more difficult.

鈥淭his is true of any FND patient, and although finding a cure is far too simplistic a way of looking at the disorder, FND is eminently treatable.鈥�

The clinic also encompasses a research component led by Mohan through UNSW Sydney鈥檚 (CHeBA), which is addressing the fundamental gap in information and education for patients and their clinicians around FND.

鈥淲hat we have built into the clinical service is a robust data collection system which allows us to measure real-world outcomes of the clinic and capture patients鈥� levels of illness and disability,鈥� Mohan said.

鈥淏eyond improving the lives of these young patients, we are ultimately going to end up with a high-quality dataset that shows us the distinct needs of FND patients. The research will also inform us of the economic cost of FND on patients and their families, as well as society at large, which has great implications for decision-making by policymakers.鈥�

Demand for the clinic has already exceeded capacity with nearly 100 referrals received over its first year of operation, demonstrating a clear need for the intervention services 鈥� especially in rural and regional areas. Patients have reported their experiences as being overwhelmingly positive, with many commenting on the need for such services across NSW and nationally.

While Grace did not have high expectations at the start of the 6-week intervention, she was surprised to notice genuine improvement every week. 鈥淚t was clear that everything they had put into place worked.鈥�

She is now back at work, has re-engaged socially and is exercising daily.

鈥淚 feel back in control of my life because of the treatment I received,鈥� she said.

The clinic is funded by Mindgardens Neuroscience Network: a translational research partnership between South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, the University of NSW, Black Dog Institute and Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA).

Findings from the Mindgardens FND Clinic will be showcased at the RANCZP .

Image caption: Grace Corkhill. Image courtesy of UNSW Sydney Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA).