Importance of diagnosis and prognosis

Work conducted with people affected by neurological conditions to develop this toolkit found that people wanted more information on prognosis – how a condition was likely to progress or be experienced and how they could plan for the future. The very nature of many neurological conditions often makes it difficult to provide this information with certainty for any individual. However, people did report that it was helpful to talk to others with a similar condition and learn from their experience. Sources of such support and information are given.

Some people will never get a diagnosis, though they consistently have symptoms indicating a neurological problem. This should not be a barrier to them receiving information about possible treatments and procedures that could alleviate their symptoms.