International FND Awareness Day is a holiday that’s observed annually on April 13th and attempts to raise awareness about FND — or Functional Neurological Disorder. This medical condition is one in which there is a problem with the proper functioning of the nervous system and how the brain receives and or sends signals to the body.

This can cause a wide variety of different neurological symptoms that can range from limb weakness to seizures. The goal of this week isn’t just to promote awareness about this condition but to support all of those people who are affected by this condition. It’s also a day that advances research for the prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts of this condition.

The History Of International FND Awareness Day

This holiday was first created by FND Hope in 2013. This organization is an FND support group and is the first and only global charity for people who have FND. It originally started as a grassroots campaign, but over the years efforts have gradually advanced. Nowadays, International FND Awareness Day is promoted by the British charity FND Action as well.

Some Quick Facts About FND

Although we’re not a medical blog and can’t give advice on medical conditions or treatments, what we can do is list some of the things that we know about FND as non-medical lay people. We’ve done a bit of research and have come up with the following facts that we hope everyone finds informative.

• The symptoms of FND can generally include functional limb weakness, functional seizures, functional tremors, functional gait disorder, and dystonia.
• There’s still a lot of research needed to determine FND but scientists believe it’s due to certain circuits in the brain not functioning properly.
• Treatments for FND include physiotherapy, medication, occupational therapy, psychological therapy, and other types of therapy.

Observing International FND Awareness Day

This is a holiday that can be observed by people taking the time to learn more about Functional Neurological Disorders, their symptoms, and how they can be treated. People can do this by doing their own research and by visiting the FaceBook page for this holiday.

People can also donate to charities such as FND Hope. To spread the word about this holiday, people can also use the hashtag #InternationalFNDAwarenessDay on social media.