What if you woke up one day and couldn’t walk, speak, or recognize your loved ones? What if you were rushed to ER with blackout seizures, paralysis, incontinence and crippling nerve pain, only to be told by the doctors that you were self-inflicting your symptoms?
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a disabling condition that mimics Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis and other degenerative conditions without causing noticeable brain damage. Instead it is a disruption of the signaling system between your brain and nervous system that causes physical reactions to misfiring neurons. Currently many medical professionals are unable to treat patients, and sometimes this means sending them home from the hospital with nothing more than a pamphlet that sends them to a website.
This film will portray the true story of a patient suffering with the condition who is determined to find treatment. It aims to serve as a resource and guide for medical professionals and communities who have not heard about FND, or who have not received training on treating it properly. Its purpose is to humanize the patients who often suffer alone and in silence, as well as to shed light on the stigmatization that is sometimes unintentionally reinforced by healthcare providers.
