Author | Lightnews

Niels Detert

@nielsdetert.bsky.social

1.8K followers 3.3K following 43 posts

Neuropsychologist, John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford, FND, Mindfulness, Nature of mind, ISTDP, Chair UK FND Network www.ukfndnetwork.org

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Nov 27

New FND guidance from the British Psychological Society on the role of neuropsychology/psychology in FND management in children and adults - a one stop shop for scientific, clinical, and policy references in FND, with a focus on the UK but global relevance explore.bps.org.uk/content/repo...

Functional Neurological Disorder: Neuropsychological and psychological management in children and adults | BPS - British Psychological Society

BPS Explore is our easy-to-access central location for you to read and download a wide range of psychological content from practitioners, researchers and working groups.

explore.bps.org.uk

2 17 33

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Jun 12

Great! Have reposted

Reposted by Niels Detert

Hamilton Morrin @hamiltonmorrin.bsky.social · Jun 12

🧠 Study exploring new FND treatment! We’re exploring patient views on Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) for #FND rehab.

✅ 18+

✅ Diagnosed w/ motor FND (e.g. weakness, tremor)

📝 10-min survey and educational video: qualtrics.kcl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_...

📎 Poster below #FNDresearch #BCI

1 9 16

Reposted by Niels Detert

British Psychological Society @bpsofficial.bsky.social · Mar 25

Functional neurological disorder (FND) is the second most common neurological condition.

This #FND Awareness Day, @nielsdetert.bsky.social explains what FND is and how treatment can vary.

👉 www.bps.org.uk/news/psychology-has-vital-role-play-treating-functional-neurological-disorder-says-bps

1 13 21

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Mar 13

💥Tim Nicholson’s @timnicholson.bsky.social modestly ‘speculative’ theory of functional processes as possibly universal components of illness, and indeed of treatments when the placebo phenomenon is understood in this way, is a revolutionary perspective in the history of Medicine @bnpa.bsky.social

1 6

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Mar 11

Shakespeare understood the predictive mind model, that the mind creates experience, before it was cool. He understood that the nature of mind is both vivid and empty like an eastern yogi - where did he learn this? Not from someone else

'Our revels now are ended'

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

William Shakespeare
From The Tempest, Act 4 Scene 1

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Jan 1

Happy New Year everyone!! There are some doubts about this, so my resolution, apart from more meditating, is to see through the negative appearances, and remember that each moment of life is infinitely more valuable than the difficult stuff that seems sometimes to happen in it

1 8

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Dec 31

A nice example of a predictive processing error ‘The woman was frantic – it hadn’t eaten or pooed’: what happened when a hat bobble was brought to a hedgehog rescue centre?

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Dec 23

If there’s a clear physical cause then that’s the diagnosis - if there’s a positive diagnostic sign of FND then that’s the diagnosis - if there’s no clear physical cause and no FND +ve sign, then it’s uncertain, but could be FND, depending on reasoning about the relative likelihood of the diagnoses

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Dec 22

Yes, I would see CBT as just one imperfect tool to try and intervene in the functioning of the brain - others include physiotherapy, the techniques of occupational therapy, mindfulness training, hypnotism, pharmaceuticals, dynamic psychotherapy and so on - all with limitations and capabilities

1 2

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Dec 22

Interesting question - I think the key point is that the brain’s ‘software’ is written in hardware - so there is no dualism here - cognition, emotion, behaviour, motor and sensory function and symptoms, including physical symptoms, are all what the hardware of the CNS does

1 1 3

Reposted by Niels Detert

Dr Leo Russell @leoistdp.bsky.social · Dec 15

I've put together a starter pack for the FND science community.

Please repost to share the link and do let me know of folks I've missed so I can add them to the group.

Thanks everyone 🙏

🧵 1/

4 23 41

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Dec 13

Let’s hope. It doesn’t feel like FND Twitter has moved over to Bluesky yet - a lot of us are on here, but the action still seems to be more on the other side - I suppose it’s a transition

Reposted by Niels Detert

FND Poltergeist 👻 @fndportal.bsky.social · Dec 12

Officially off Twitter today.

I know “Twitter is not real life” blah blah but the truth is it completely changed mine.

I went from isolation to the center of a brilliant community of disabled activists + scientists working on incredible things.

Hope we can recreate the virtuous cycle here!

4 2 32

Reposted by Niels Detert

FND Poltergeist 👻 @fndportal.bsky.social · Dec 12

Important study!

FND is common: “using our best method as a conservative estimate, there are likely a minimum of 50–100,000 people with FND in the UK.”

“FND appears to be more prevalent than many other well-known and well-funded neurological disorders”

Clinical + research funding needed!

Jon Stone @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social · Dec 12

How common is FND?

‘Incidence and Prevalence of Functional Neurological Disorder: A systematic review’ – a new open access article in JNNP led by Sara Finkelstein with Clare Diamond, and @alancarson15.bsky.social
jnnp.bmj.com/content/earl... 1/🧵

4 13

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Dec 6

It’s just tweeting I think

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Dec 5

Thanks Vidya!

Reposted by Niels Detert

Dr Leo Russell @leoistdp.bsky.social · Dec 5

👆 please let me know of people I've missed who need to be added. Thanks

@nielsdetert.bsky.social @fndportal.bsky.social @timnicholson.bsky.social @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social @fndsociety.bsky.social @tomplender.bsky.social

2 3 5

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Nov 29

As a psychologist there will be complex issues related to this in rel to therapy and capacity (esp for conscientious objectors). Also no explicit protection for conscientious objection, except in narrowly defined situations (‘providing assistance’ ie drugs, and, for doctors, having the discussion)

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Nov 27

Welcome to Bluesky!

Reposted by Niels Detert

Katie Butler @katiebutler06.bsky.social · Nov 27

Great to be in print, we radically changed the service at the time with great success and longevity

Charlie Winward @consahpcharlie.bsky.social · Nov 20

New article here- let me know what you think
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A service evaluation of patients and clinicians experience of video consultations in a specialist outpatient neuro-rehabilitation service

There has been a rapid adoption of telerehabilitation services, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, with minimal guidance or evaluation of bene…

www.sciencedirect.com

1 1 5

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Nov 27

Please retweet 😊 @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social @timnicholson.bsky.social @fndportal.bsky.social @alancarson15.bsky.social @susannahpick.bsky.social @hamiltonmorrin.bsky.social

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Nov 27

Thanks to all the working group who produced this: Richard Brown, Sue Copstick, Tanya Edmonds, Dawn Golder, Laura Goldstein, Tara Murphy, Nigel Little, Sally Robinson, Leo Russell @leoistdp.bsky.social, Daniel Stark, Fiona Summers, Phil Yates, Najma Khan-Bourne @najneuro.bsky.social and Jason Price

1 4

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Nov 27

And propose a range of recommendations - including for specialist MDT-based services located in physical health organisations in the context of whole system care pathways with new posts and funding and making training in FND a core component of Clinical Psychology training

1 3

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Nov 27

We endorse a formulation-based MDT Matched Care model

1 2

Niels Detert @nielsdetert.bsky.social · Nov 27

We address issues in Functional Cognitive Disorder - esp use of Performance Validity Tests - not diagnostic, nor ruling out, but can be one example in Dx pattern of inconsistency - also issues of interpretation of PVTs - highly context dependent, and concept of 'effort' unhelpful

1 3