Dave Sharma (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

25 March is the awareness day for a neurological condition that many people have never heard of. Until two years ago, I didn't know what functional neurological disorder was myself. But, following a significant accident, my sister-in-law was diagnosed with FND, and I've seen her life completely change. She's gone from being a leader within her profession in the educational field, independent, highly functioning and outgoing, to now needing assistance with basic daily tasks, needing rehabilitation to learn how to walk again and having a number of other symptoms which impact her daily life.

FNDs, or functional neurological disorders, are among the most common reasons that people see a neurologist after migraines. For people who are diagnosed with FND, it can be a life-changing and debilitating disorder, and the fact we know so little about it is what is so troubling. Neurological conditions such as MS or Parkinson's disease are widely known and well funded, and rightly so, yet functional neurological disorders are something which many people, even in the medical field, lack understanding of. As the National Mental Health Commission concluded in a 2019 report:

Neurologists are often not well equipped to support the full range of symptoms of FND …

FNDs result from problems with the functioning and connectivity of the nervous system but without associated structural damage to the nervous system—so they're a malfunction rather than a neuropathology or a neurological disease. FND can present in a similar way to some of the more commonly known neurological conditions such as strokes. However, rather than it being an issue with the hardware or a structural issue of the brain, in people with FND the signals or connectivity of the central nervous system—the software, if you like—are no longer functioning as they should. Individuals with FND experience a variety of disabling sensory, motor, cognitive and neurological symptoms. They may partially or totally lose control of their walking, speech, sight or swallowing. They can experience seizures, tremors, dystonia, incontinence and chronic pain. Sensory issues, brain fog and extreme fatigue are also very common. Men, women and children can all be affected by FND, and around 50 in every 100,000 Australians are believed to experience some sort of functional symptoms like this. In 2021, it was estimated that in New South Wales some 200 to 300 people were diagnosed each year as having a functional neurological disorder.

For many people who are suffering from FNDs, access to services is restricted due to a lack of public multidisciplinary treatments created specifically for FND, and the cost of private treatment, as my sister-in-law has discovered, can be prohibitive. Often, as well, people who are suffering from FND have to deal with misdiagnosis and frequently with disbelief and scepticism, which only makes their condition more challenging. The National Disability Insurance Scheme, for instance, requires individuals to prove that they have completed all forms of treatment available for the condition of FND to be considered permanent and hence for them to be eligible to access the scheme. As FND can leave many people unable to work full time or at all, the impact on individuals and families, economically, socially and emotionally, can be devastating.

The only FND charity and support group in Australia—called FND Australia Support Services—is run by a single individual who suffers from FND, with no government funding or resources and with all the support provided by volunteers who also suffer from FND. We need to do more. There need to be specific services for those with FNDs, who experience real and significant disabilities due to this neurological condition. It's simply not enough to be directed to a website about FND upon diagnosis and then to be discharged—an experience which, sadly, many people with FND have had. There is some hope that, with an increase in understanding and greater awareness of FND and with new research being undertaken both here in Australia and overseas, awareness and knowledge is growing. Today, on FND Awareness Day, I want to recognise all FND warriors, their families and their carers.