I came across this thread by accident - I have a different neurological condition so usually post in the CRPS forum (RSD to many of those in the USA).

I am so totally and utterly struck by the experiences I've just read about here. They absolutely, exactly mirror my experience of neurologists (and a particularly stupid neuro-psychologist) and the diagnostic process I have gone through.

I cannot get my logical, professional head round the illogical and ludicrous idea that in the total absence of any evidence base, it is OK to diagnose people with conversion/somatoform/non-organic/functional/psychosomatic/hysterical conditions. In a world where we are only supposed to make medical decisions based on a medical evidence base, I cannot get anyone to explain to me why it is acceptable that they label 30-50 percent of patients presenting with neurological symptoms as having psychiatric issues. There is just no evidence base to support any psychiatric or psychological basis for their symptoms.

I have done I don't know how much reading about functional/conversion etc disorders and there is no satisfactory, causal, reasoning path that takes you from symptoms to such a diagnostic outcome. The definitions are circular and nobody has managed to actually define 'functional' in any clinical paper using words that actually mean anything. There are plenty of words but they are completely unable to actually define what a functional disorder actually is. I appreciate that there are genuine conversion etc disorder patients and I do exclude such people from my statements here.

It would serve neurologists and their patients better if they admitted their substantial ignorance of the way in which the brain and nervous system works. Their arrogance knows no bounds in spite of their ignorance. To suggest that CBT is 'the answer' is also without much foundation - it is patently obvious and indeed well known and (perversely) widely agreed that such psychological therapies are largely ineffective for patients diagnosed with functional disorders. Why might that be...?!! Perhaps they don't have underlying psychological problems at all! It's too easy to make the psychological cause argument because it sounds superficially plausible. However, when you actually test it, there is no evidence that justifies making the causal link from psychological isses to the sorts of disabling, involuntary, neurological symptom presentations that people have.

Its not so long ago that neurologists thought MS was mere hysteria. Then came MRI and suddenly an organic cause was apparent. I'm sure that as new testing methods are developed, many of these people labelled as hysterics and attention seekers will be found to have absolutely genuine, organic causes for their symptoms.

Sorry for ranting a bit and not being as coherent as I'd like - this whole area gets right on my nerves!!