What are examples of functional symptoms?

Possible functional symptoms

You might be wondering about the cause of your own symptoms, so I’ve provided below an incomplete list of symptoms that might be functional.

Of course, they all could be due to a disease process, so it is important to make sure your doctor has ruled out physical disease before assuming these symptoms are functional. And when it comes to serious symptoms such as chest pain, especially if the pain persists for minutes, prompt action may save your life. It is not a good time to wonder if a body stress system is causing you to develop chest pain. Just call an ambulance.

If you have a symptom and you are not sure whether it could be functional, check out the list below.

Functional symptoms are many and varied. Nearly any symptom can be functional. Below there is an incomplete list of symptoms that might be functional. Of course, they all could be due to a disease process, so it is important to make sure your doctor has ruled out physical disease before assuming these symptoms are functional. And when it comes to serious symptoms such as chest pain, especially if the pain persists for minutes, prompt action may save your life. It is not a good time to wonder if a body stress system is causing you to develop chest pain. Just call an ambulance.

Functional symptoms can include the following:

• A feeling of constriction in the chest

• A strong feeling of dread, danger or foreboding

• Accelerated heart rate

• ‘air hunger’ (the feeling like you can’t get enough breath), breathing difficulties, shortness of breath

• Anxious and irrational thinking

• Back pain

• Blushing

• Constipation

• Double vision

• Dry mouth

• Dry, irritated eyes

• Dyspepsia (indigestion)

• Erectile dysfunction

• Eye strain, fatigue

• Faecal incontinence

• Faintness

• Fatigue, weakness

• Fear of going mad, losing control or dying

• Feelings of unreality, brain fog, dizziness, full loss of consciousness, light-headedness

• Gait disturbance

• Gut disturbances, nausea, abdominal distress or pain

• Heightened vigilance for danger and physical symptoms

• Hoarseness, change in pitch or volume of your speech

• Hot flushes or cold chills

• Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)

• Incontinence

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Joint and muscle pain

• Loss of vision

• Lump in the throat or feeling something stuck there

• Not being able to urinate if anyone is around

• Sudden emotional outburst (for example, crying)

• Swallowing disorders

• Sweating

• Swelling, rashes and inflammation itch

• Tense muscles, cramps, twitches, fleeting pains

• Tingling, particularly in the arms and hands, numbness

• Tinnitus or a buzzing/ringing sound

• Trembling or shaking

• Tunnel vision

• Urinary frequency, burning, pain, urgency

• Visual problems.

As you can see from this long but far from complete list of functional symptoms, several observations can be made:

• We all get some of these symptoms – whether it is some eye strain after a long day or a dry mouth when experiencing unaccustomed social pressure – but usually they quickly resolve. We can understand their cause and can safely ignore them, knowing they will resolve when the situation changes.

• Nearly any bodily experience could be a functional response, a glitch in the system.

• Functional symptoms are experienced in the same way that symptoms due to physical causes are experienced, but there is no sign of disease.

As you can see, nearly any symptom could have a functional cause. And given that they are common, it is not surprising if your tests come back normal.