Adverse life events and psychosocial stressors in functional neurological disorder: a retrospective cohort and case-control study using a large international electronic health record database.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Adverse life events and other stressors were central to historical 'Freudian' models of functional neurological disorder (FND), which have been increasingly replaced by more nuanced biopsychosocial models. Studies of the aetiological relevance of stressors have been limited by small sample sizes.

Methods

Retrospective cohort analyses using a large international electronic health records network (TriNetX), including ICD-10 codes, were performed. Between 2015 and 2025, 147,595 individuals were diagnosed with FND. The rates of adverse life events and psychosocial stressors were compared to matched cohorts with migraine and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) diagnoses. We also investigated associations between FND and the presence of stressors, including the stressor

SUBMITTER: Berlot R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12720988 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature