AUTHOR=Bokharey Iram Zehra , Fahim Urusa , Tahir Khola , Shireen Zarish 

TITLE=Addressing the elephant in the room: understanding functional neurological symptom disorder through the lens of culture and religion

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1174364

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2023.1174364

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Owing to the dearth of scholarly works to understand the presence of Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder (FNSD) among mental health patients in Pakistan, this study sought to understand how cultural and religious conflicts are implicated in the aetiology of FNSD. The study recruited 22 interviewees, comprising five men and 17 women. The participants were recruited from the Department of Psychiatry at Services Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed through Thematic Analysis. The two main themes identified in this study were cultural and religious values and beliefs about romantic relationships. These two themes are interconnected: beliefs about romantic relationships were interpreted and experienced through the perspective of religion and culture. The subthemes of cultural and religious values were self-perception, a conviction in religious beliefs, and sexual suppression. The subthemes of beliefs about romantic relationships were family’s approval, engagement against wishes, and fear of exposure. To summarize, this study concluded that stressors related to culture and religion are significant contributing factors in the development of FNSD.