COURSE · PART 2 · MODULE 5
Module 5 — Medical Safety and New Symptoms
FND can explain familiar symptoms without explaining every future symptom. This module helps you compare what is happening now with your usual pattern, prepare brief emergency information and use an individual safety plan.
What this module teaches
- A known FND diagnosis does not prevent another illness or injury. [1][2]
- A familiar event and a new or meaningfully changed event need different judgment.
- A short, clinician-reviewed plan can guide other people during familiar events. [3]
- Good care avoids both automatic dismissal and unnecessary harmful treatment. [1][2]
Pages
- Familiar Symptoms, New Symptoms, and Medical Change — focused guidance on familiar symptoms, new symptoms, and medical change.
- Emergency Information and Individual Safety Plans — focused guidance on emergency information and individual safety plans.
- Using Your Safety Plan and Deciding When to Get Urgent Help — a simple sequence for using the plan during and after an event.
Inside each page: Person with FND · Supporters · Clinicians · Research
Every page in this module uses these same four main sections.
Research and Sources
| Citation | Figure | Full citation |
|---|---|---|
| [1] | — | Finkelstein SA, Cortel-LeBlanc MA, Cortel-LeBlanc A, Stone J. Functional neurological disorder in the emergency department. Academic Emergency Medicine. 2021;28(6):685–696. FND-CIT-0068. https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.14263 |
| [2] | — | Mcloughlin C, Lee WH, Carson A, Stone J. Iatrogenic harm in functional neurological disorder. Brain. 2025;148(1):27–38. FND-CIT-0069. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae283 |
| [3] | — | Tolchin B, Goldstein LH, Reuber M, Stone J, Perez DL, LaFrance WC Jr, et al. Management of Functional Seizures Practice Guideline Executive Summary: Report of the AAN Guidelines Subcommittee. Neurology. 2026;106(1):e214466. FND-CIT-0010. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214466 |