Background: Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are classified with other functional neurological symptoms as 'Conversion Disorder', but there are reasons to wonder whether this symptomatology constitutes a distinct entity.
Methods: We reviewed the literature comparing PNES with other functional neurological symptoms.
Results: We find eight studies that directly examined this question. Though all but one found significant differences-notably in presenting age, trauma history, and dissociation-they were divided on whether these differences represented an important distinction.
Conclusion: We argue that the aetiological and mechanistic distinctions they support, particularly when bolstered by additional data, give reason to sustain a separation between these conditions.
Keywords: aetiology; functional neurological disorder; mechanism; nosology; psychogenic movement disorder.
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