Symptoms · Symptom Library · Often with FND

Low mood

When FND weighs on more than the body

Also called: depression · low mood with chronic illness

Low mood and depression are common when life shrinks around symptoms. Treating mood is part of whole-person care. It does not rewrite FND into a “purely psychiatric” story.

Safety. If you have thoughts of suicide or self-harm, seek urgent help now. UK: 999 if in immediate danger; Samaritans 116 123; NHS 111 for urgent advice.

How it can feel

  • Flatness, hopelessness or irritability.
  • Loss of enjoyment in things that used to help.
  • Sleep and appetite changes.
  • Feeling like a burden — a thought, not a fact.

Day to day

  • Harder to keep rehab, social contact and admin going.
  • Symptom tolerance drops when mood is low.
  • Carers may need their own support.

Why this can be FND (simply)

Living with unpredictable disability is a heavy load. Biology, sleep, pain and isolation all feed mood. Support is strength, not failure.

What can help

  • Talk to a GP about depression assessment.
  • Therapy and, where appropriate, medication under clinical advice.
  • Peer connection and tiny achievable routines.
  • Practical help with benefits, work and care so the load is not only emotional.

This is information, not a treatment plan. Personal care decisions belong with you and your clinicians.

FAQs

Will antidepressants cure FND?

Not as a magic switch. They may help mood, sleep or pain for some people as part of a wider plan — decisions belong with your clinician.

Next steps