Functional (psychogenic) movement disorders (FMDs) are conditions in which affected patients develop abnormal movements that are incongruous with known, organic, movement disorders, often associated with psychological stressors. In this case series, electronic medical records of all patients who presented to an adult and pediatric tertiary-care movement disorders clinics between March 1 and October 30, 2020 and during the same period in 2019 were reviewed. All patients diagnosed with functional or psychogenic movement disorder were included if they satisfied diagnostic criteria.
Among 550 new patients referred for evaluation at tertiary care movement disorders centers, 45 (8.2%) received a diagnosis of FMD; 75.6% were female, in comparison to the prior year during which time 665 new patients were evaluated and 5.1% were diagnosed with FMD. This represents a 60.1% increase (90.1% in pediatric cohort, 50.9% in adult cohort) in new patients diagnosed with FMD during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors concluded that within their patient population, there has been increased incidence of FMDs in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly reflecting increased psychological and other stressors during this period.
Mariam Hull, Mered Parnes, Joseph Jankovic. Increased Incidence of Functional (Psychogenic) Movement Disorders in Children and Adults Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study. Neurol Clin Pract Apr 2021, 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000001082; DOI: 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000001082