Overview of FNSD predisposing factors
| Factor | Supporting evidence |
|---|---|
| Trauma/psychiatric symptoms | History of sexual abuse or trauma |
| Increased stress | |
| Increased anxiety and panic symptoms | |
| Increased alexithymia | |
| Comorbid dissociative disorders | |
| Somatic symptoms | Comorbid fatigue, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome |
| Parent reinforcement and concern over physical symptoms, resulting in increased symptoms | |
| Impairment in sensory gating, allowing for excessive information loading | |
| Illness exposure | Precipitating physical event or physical trauma |
| Personal or family history of neurological disorder | |
| Personal or family history of other health disorder | |
| Profession in a medical or paramedical field | |
| Media exposure to neurological disorder | |
| Symptom monitoring | Impairment in habituation |
| Increased focus on external body features | |
| Increased self-monitoring | |
| Neurobiological evidence | Abnormal attentional focus on affected area |
| Beliefs and expectations about illness | |
| Deficits in sense of control over actions | |
| Interregional neural network deficits in limbic system, sensorimotor areas and prefrontal cortex | |
| Functional and structural brain abnormalities |
FNSD = functional neurological symptom disorder.