Stephen

If you only RT one tweet today, please, let it be this one. #RIPRobinWilliams #RobinWilliams

@grantmathieson Gorgeous

Watching the coverage on @BBCNews - as a former Railway Chaplain I’m sending my thoughts and prayers to the passengers involved, their loved ones and former colleagues @BTP & @LNER following last night’s attack.

@AlexHynes And to you x

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2025.

@TheBookshopMan Happy birthday gorgeous x

It's my birthday! 42 today. How did that happen?!

@liam43102 You don’t look a day over 39! Lol Happy birthday x

Happy Birthday to me, 40 years young today 🎂🥳

@NigelBradbury77 Good good .

@NigelBradbury77 Hope it went ok?

@NigelBradbury77 Happy birthday handsome x

More to come on online stigma, as well as anti-stigma material. 30/

You may have also heard @dr_caoimhe_mc presenting the huge joint effort exploring FND as a feminist issue at the recent @fndsociety meeting in Verona. jnnp.bmj.com/content/94/10/… 29/

This is one paper in a PhD from @dr_caoimhe_mc on stigma and FND. Another paper exploring how stigma unfolds over time in FND has also been published recently. doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsy…. 28/

Conclusion. Stigma drives lack of care for patients. Institutional changes, training, research and patients and health professionals working together are likely to help make FND legitimate & visible. 27/

The growing number of patient-led FND charities worldwide, health professional organisations such as @FNDsociety, increasing research, changes in curriculae and FND service pathways are all positive steps. 26/

There is evidence that stigma can be challenged and overcome. Studies show that having a shared understanding of FND, giving time, a clear care plan, & empowering the patient with a tailored, legitimate explanation that they could share with others were some key points. 26/

But it's not all gloom and doom. Stigma in FND can be overcome. 24/

“Society knows nothing about this, which is the huge problem, and automatically people are assumed to be malingering” - Healthcare professional, South Africa, (Fouch´e et al., 2019). 24/

9. Care access and inconsistencies: Globally, stigma itself is a major barrier to service access & development. Poor care is a bigger problem in low-middle income countries, but worldwide there is a deficit in clinicians who have the perceived expertise to treat FND. 23/

“Well, I don’t feel competent or skilled. I just look and I think, “Oh, god, how am I going to get through this one?” - Occupational Therapist, UK (Nicholson et al., 2021). 22/

8. Knowledge, training and skillset. Lack of competence, skills and teaching among healthcare professionals and knowledge in the public is invalidating for patients, and leads to patients feeling “othered” by having to explain their condition. 21/

“The problem we have as physios is often that consultants aren’t honest with patients about their true diagnosis which makes our treatment and explanation of symptoms more difficult” Physiotherapist, UK (Evans-Lacko et al., 2011). 20/