Neurological disorders are doubtless among the most frightening illnesses that human beings face. Other kinds of dysfunction, such as cancer or viruses, are at least easily comprehended, if not so easily dealt with. A malfunctioning pancreas, troublesome though it may be, doesn’t strike to the heart of what it means to be human, and it will basically leave its victim intact as a person.
Knowledge is sometimes the only power there is against the vagaries of neurological ailments. Learning what causes neurological issues can be the difference between a fully enfranchised patient who is in charge of their own care decisions and a helpless,
terrified subject who’s worried about mysterious ailments that don’t make any sense.Fundamentally, a neurological disorder is any affliction arising from, or causing dysfunction to,
the brain and nervous system of an individual. Given the obvious complexity of the system affected, it would be impossible to briefly summarize all the things that can go wrong with it.
Indeed, according to University of California, San Francisco, over 600 known disorders of the nervous system exist, which is why an entire class of medical specialists, known as neurologists, work to diagnose and – hopefully – treat such disorders.