Increased Incidence of Functional (Psychogenic) Movement Disorders in Children and Adults Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: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 or 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.