Functional freezing of gait: lessons from compensation.

We highlight a specific and hitherto poorly characterised phenotype of functional gait impairments: functional freezing of gait. Unique to the presented case is the use of compensation strategies, many of which at first sight might appear to hint towards the presence of freezing of gait typical of Parkinson's disease or another form of Parkinsonism. Importantly, however, this patient's compensation strategies involved various inconsistent and incongruent elements, supporting the diagnosis of a functional neurological disorder. Recognising the features of functional freezing also helps to appreciate better the classical manifestations of freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease.

Efficacy of Hypnosis and Catalepsy Induction in Functional Neurological Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) experience complex patterns of motor and/or sensory symptoms. Treatment studies of psychological interventions are promising but limited. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current pilot study is to investigate the effect of treatment consisting of a combination of hypnosis and catalepsy induction on FND symptom severity. METHODS: A within-subject waiting list-control design was used with 46 patients diagnosed with FND. The treatment consisted of 10 sessions. The primary outcome measure was FND symptom severity (The Psychogenic Movement Disorder Rating Scale; PMDRS). The secondary outcome measures were psychological distress and quality of life. RESULTS: The repeated measures (RM) ANOVA for the PMDRS as outcome measure revealed a significant effect for time with a large effect size (η2 = 0.679). Pairwise comparisons indicated that the effect of time in the treatment period was significant for the measure of FND symptom severity, whereas the waiting list period was not. The effect remained stable even at 8 weeks post treatment. As for the additional measurement, general psychological distress and quality of life, no statistically significant differences between individual time points were found. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study showed that eight sessions of treatment consisting of a combination of hypnosis and catalepsy induction was effective in reducing FND symptom severity. Some explanations and limitations are provided in the paper as well as several avenues of future research.

Is Behavioural Therapy a New Treatment Option for Task-Specific Dystonia in Athletes? A Case Series.

Background: Task-specific dystonia is a movement disorder of the central nervous system characterized by focal involuntary spasms and muscle contractions, which can negatively affect performance of a specific task. It can affect a wide range of fine motor skills, also in athletes. Current management of task-specific dystonia includes mainly prescribing drugs, exercise therapy or botulinum injections to the affected muscles. Psychological interventions for athletes suffering from task-specific dystonia have not been described extensively so far. Methods: We present a case-series of 4 different advanced skill-level athletes with suspected task-specific dystonia, which had a major impact on their performance. They all received treatment consisting of a combination of standardized behavioural therapy and relaxation techniques in the form of hypnosis in a total of 8 sessions in a 16-week time period. Results: After treatment, all athletes returned to their original high level of sport performance without further symptoms of their suspected task-specific dystonia. Discussion: Behavioural therapy in combination with a relaxation technique seems to be a safe and promising treatment for athletes with suspected task-specific dystonia. Further studies in a larger, preferably randomized controlled trial, are warranted to evaluate if this treatment strategy is effective in athletes with suspected task-specific dystonia.

A brief cognitive-behavioural treatment approach for PTSD and Dissociative Identity Disorder, a case report.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We described a new treatment model for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), based on cognitive-behavioural principles. In this model, dissociation is seen as a maladaptive avoidant coping strategy. In addition, we stress that patients have dysfunctional beliefs about dissociation. Both elements, avoidance behaviour and dysfunctional beliefs, are challenged during the brief, intensive trauma-focused treatment. When the PTSD-symptoms decrease, the patient is offered a fare-well ritual to say goodbye to their identities in one or more additional sessions. METHODS: We illustrate this treatment approach with a case report of a woman with PTSD as a result of sexual abuse in her childhood, and DID with four identities. Treatment outcome was measured at intake, at pre-treatment, at post-treatment and at 3 and 6 months follow-up. RESULTS: After the short treatment of only 2 weeks, she no longer fulfilled the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD nor DID. These results were maintained at the follow-ups. LIMITATIONS: Although we included a baseline-controlled time phase, it was not a controlled study, and only one patient was treated. CONCLUSIONS: This new treatment model for DID-patients is promising but results should be interpreted cautiously since we described only one patient.