Increased Incidence of Functional (Psychogenic) Movement Disorders in Children and Adults Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
Mariam Hull, Mered Parnes, Joseph Jankovic
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: 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. METHODS: In this case series, electronic medical records of all patients who presented to our 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 (psychogenic) movement disorder were included if they satisfied diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: Among 550 new patients referred for evaluation at our 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. CONCLUSIONS: Within our 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.