What are Functional Conditions?
Functional conditions/disorders are characterised by physical symptoms which cannot be attributed to any known physical cause or psychiatric disorder, and which affect the daily functional capacity and quality of life. Functional conditions have many faces, such as Bodily Distress Syndrome, Psychogenic Non Epileptic Seizures, Chronic fatigue Syndrome etc, but it can also be characterised by much more relatable and common symptoms: Headaches, back pains, chronic pain, stomach problems, rash etc.
It can be very disabling to suffer from a functional condition, especially because it can be very hard to understand for one self and to explain to others. It is also made difficult by the fact that there is no 'one way' to treat these conditions, and therefore it can feel very chaotic. However we do have many possibilities to treat this and to help people improve their quality of life. We for an example know that therapy, especially Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, helps, and also physiotherapy and mindfullness have proven helpful.
The term Functional Conditions is used because of its neutral quality but these conditions are known under a variety of different names; Functional Disorders, Psychosomatic Disorders, Somatoform Disorders, Somatisation etc.
It can be very disabling to suffer from a functional condition, especially because it can be very hard to understand for one self and to explain to others. It is also made difficult by the fact that there is no 'one way' to treat these conditions, and therefore it can feel very chaotic. However we do have many possibilities to treat this and to help people improve their quality of life. We for an example know that therapy, especially Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, helps, and also physiotherapy and mindfullness have proven helpful.
The term Functional Conditions is used because of its neutral quality but these conditions are known under a variety of different names; Functional Disorders, Psychosomatic Disorders, Somatoform Disorders, Somatisation etc.
