Neuropsychiatric Associations With Gender, Illness Duration, Work Disability, and Motor Subtype in a U.S. Functional Neurological Disorders Clinic Population

Nassim Matin, From the Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (NM, SSY, BW, JNK, DC, DLP); the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Brown University, Alpert Medical School, Providence, R.I. (WCL); the Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (ZC, JBW, DLP); and the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (BCD, DLP).
Sigrid S. Young, From the Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (NM, SSY, BW, JNK, DC, DLP); the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Brown University, Alpert Medical School, Providence, R.I. (WCL); the Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (ZC, JBW, DLP); and the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (BCD, DLP).
Benjamin Williams, From the Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (NM, SSY, BW, JNK, DC, DLP); the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Brown University, Alpert Medical School, Providence, R.I. (WCL); the Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (ZC, JBW, DLP); and the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (BCD, DLP).
W Curt LaFrance, From the Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (NM, SSY, BW, JNK, DC, DLP); the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Brown University, Alpert Medical School, Providence, R.I. (WCL); the Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (ZC, JBW, DLP); and the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (BCD, DLP).
Julie N. King, From the Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (NM, SSY, BW, JNK, DC, DLP); the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Brown University, Alpert Medical School, Providence, R.I. (WCL); the Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (ZC, JBW, DLP); and the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (BCD, DLP).
David Caplan, From the Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (NM, SSY, BW, JNK, DC, DLP); the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Brown University, Alpert Medical School, Providence, R.I. (WCL); the Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (ZC, JBW, DLP); and the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (BCD, DLP).
Zeina Chemali, From the Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (NM, SSY, BW, JNK, DC, DLP); the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Brown University, Alpert Medical School, Providence, R.I. (WCL); the Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (ZC, JBW, DLP); and the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (BCD, DLP).
Jeffery B. Weilburg, From the Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (NM, SSY, BW, JNK, DC, DLP); the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Brown University, Alpert Medical School, Providence, R.I. (WCL); the Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (ZC, JBW, DLP); and the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (BCD, DLP).
Bradford C. Dickerson, From the Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (NM, SSY, BW, JNK, DC, DLP); the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Brown University, Alpert Medical School, Providence, R.I. (WCL); the Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (ZC, JBW, DLP); and the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (BCD, DLP).
David L. Perez, From the Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (NM, SSY, BW, JNK, DC, DLP); the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Brown University, Alpert Medical School, Providence, R.I. (WCL); the Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (ZC, JBW, DLP); and the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (BCD, DLP).

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The assessment of functional neurological disorders (FND) requires an interdisciplinary approach. The authors retrospectively reviewed charts for 100 outpatients with FND and used univariate and regression analyses to investigate neuropsychiatric associations with gender, illness duration, and work disability; secondary analyses evaluated for differences across motor FND subtypes. Men reported higher rates of cognitive complaints and functional weakness, whereas women endorsed increased past physical/sexual trauma. Number of self-reported medication allergies/sensitivities positively correlated with illness duration. Individuals with functional weakness compared with other motor FND subtypes exhibited lower rates of past psychiatric hospitalization and head trauma. This study supports the feasibility of integrating FND research.

Medical Subject Headings

Adult; Cognition; Comorbidity; Conversion Disorder (epidemiology, physiopathology, therapy); Disability Evaluation; Employment; Female; Humans; Interview, Psychological; Male; Massachusetts; Multivariate Analysis; Nervous System Diseases (epidemiology, physiopathology, therapy); Outpatients; Regression Analysis; Retrospective Studies; Sex Factors; Time Factors

Publication Date

1-1-2017

Publication Title

The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences

E-ISSN

1545-7222

Volume

29

Issue

4

First Page

375

Last Page

382

PubMed ID

28449634

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1176/appi.neuropsych.16110302

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