This article sets out a model for an integrated multidisciplinary approach to FND without additional specialist funding and as part of core services. This was developed in a collaboration between Devon Partnership NHS Trust and the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust.

A British Psychlogical Society Briefing Paper reviewing current evidence and practice in the neuropsychological and psychological theory and management of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) in the context of the emerging wider field of multidisciplinary management of FND and with recommendations for the direction of travel in developing better services for people with FND.

This paper outlines the theoretical basis for ISTDP as a treatment option for patients with functional neurological disorder and reviews the existing research. It explores mechanisms of change and the potential role of maladaptive emotion processing for some people with FND. The application of ISTDP to FND is described and illustrated with direct therapy transcripts.

In this landmark paper, the authors highlight that despite some progress in the last decade, people with FND continue to suffer subtle and overt forms of discrimination by clinicians, researchers and the public. There is abundant evidence that disorders perceived as primarily affecting women are neglected in healthcare and medical research, and the course of FND mirrors this neglect. We outline the reasons why FND is a feminist issue, incorporating historical and contemporary clinical, research and social perspectives. We call for parity for FND in medical education, research and clinical service development so that people affected by FND can receive the care they need.

This library provides a curated list of some of the major reviews and meta-analyses exploring the ISTDP’s empirical base. It details studies on cost-effectiveness in public healthcare, its use for functional neurological and somatic disorders (including chronic pain), and its broader efficacy across depression, anxiety, personality disorders and other conditions. The page emphasizes areas where ISTDP shows strong outcomes—including long-term symptom improvement and reductions in healthcare and disability costs—and highlights how the method has been implemented and studied internationally (for example, in Norway).

This is a a curated collection of multimedia content, including podcasts, news-articles and video material, focused on the method of Intensive Short‑Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP). It features content such as a podcast episode on functional neurological disorder (FND) and its overlap with multiple sclerosis, an interview with Leo Russell about integrating ISTDP into multidisciplinary care, a news article highlighting a patient’s recovery from functional disorder through ISTDP, and presentations by leading figures in the field.

We offer an accredited three-year core training programme based at Exeter University’s historic Reed Hall. Five face-to-face teaching blocks of two days per year, plus three online seminars with special guest speakers, and an annual in-person conference. Learn the theory and practice of ISTDP including the underpinning psychoanalytic and attachment principles, psychodiagnosis, fostering conscious and unconscious therapeutic alliance, working with resistance, working with ego fragility, facilitating the experience of complex transference feelings, and unlocking the unconscious.

The Functional Neurological Disorder Society is a multidisciplinary international organisation dedicated to advancing the science, awareness and clinical care of functional neurological disorders (FND). It brings together neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists and researchers to drive education, develop best-practice treatment approaches and support patients whose symptoms stem from altered nervous-system functioning rather than structural brain disease.

FND FrieNDs is a UK-based charity located in the South West of England dedicated to raising awareness of Functional Neurological Disorder and offering support for people with the condition, as well as their families and carers. They provide a network of meet-ups, crafting and holistic therapy sessions in locations such as Devon, Cornwall, Bristol, and Somerset, and also engage with healthcare professionals to improve understanding of FND and foster better treatment pathways.