In 2020, epileptologist Selim R. Benbadis published a short but pointed letter to the editor in Epilepsy & Behavior: “Functional seizures? ‘So I still have seizures, right? The piece was in response to the growing enthusiasm for replacing “psychogenic nonepileptic seizures” (PNES) with the term “functional seizures” (or FS). Benbadis pushed back against this rebranding; […]
In their 2026 article “Approach to the Patient with FND: Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Developing a Treatment Plan,” published in Seminars in Neurology, Michael Daniel DeDominicis and Sarah Lidstone propose reframing functional neurological disorder (FND) as a brain network disorder involving altered predictive processing, attention, and sense of agency. They argue that moving away from older
I invite you to read our most recent blog post coming from a brilliant mind in the world of functional neurological disorder (FND) and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES): Steven Painter, founder and CEO of Neurolog. This is a groundbreaking app for functional neurological disorder symptoms that is poised to help thousands living with these symptoms
With new advances in understanding PNES, there have been changes in how the diagnosis is explained and what the condition itself is named. The shift, recommended by some professionals in the field, emphasizes the biological aspects of the disorder, removes reference to psychological elements (functional seizures), and seemingly provides a wider foundation for how to
I knew something was off as soon as I was standing at the edge of the fence. The female, Sasha, always came up to the fence to say hello to me. A small crowd had gathered in front of their enclosure. My eyes darted around, trying to find out what was wrong. I saw the male, Nico, sleeping on
Saving Stripes: A book about nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and a zoo Read More »
What is a SAP? Seizure action plans are personalized, written documents created with your healthcare provider and include your diagnosis, a description of your typical episodes, and instructions for others witnessing the seizure on how to respond appropriately. They also typically include the name and number of your emergency contact person. Sample SAP:Seizure Action Plan
Seizure Action Plans (SAP) for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) Read More »
New publication about PNES In 2015, Kate Berger published a remarkable and influential work, View from the Floor: Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures: A Patient’s Perspective. Her candid, unfiltered account—marked by raw honesty, sharp wit, sarcasm, humor, and resilience—offered a powerful perspective that continues to resonate deeply with individuals living with PNES and those who care for
What is this?The Lorna Myers PNES Scholarship Fund is a dedicated financial aid program graciously administered by Epilepsy Alliance America and supported financially by Dr. Lorna Myers who donates all royalties from the sales of her book “Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: A guide” to the scholarship. This scholarship supports students who reside in the US and
Functional seizures: Sanitized terminological shifts may seem progressive but can be harmful Late last year, an ILAE Task Force proposal (Hingray et al., 2025) was published, urging that the term “psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES)” be replaced with the new and improved “functional/dissociative seizures (F/DS).” It is my understanding that some of the ILAE task force
