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Psychogenic AND Epileptic. Anyone else have this too?
Wed, 05/25/2011 - 18:04So I'm in the hospital today, (was yesterday too) for VEEG testing.
I had a two "attacks" yesterday that included sudden numbness in face neck and arms, sudden tension to the point where my hands were bent in funny ways, loss of mobility in arms, jerking/muscle spasms, emotional, with clouded awareness and some loss of memory. Believe it or not, these attacks were shown to be psychogenic according to my EEG. They also say that based on previous EEGs I still have confirmed epileptic seizures. So what I know right now, and what we are looking at, is that I have both epileptic AND PNES. I have been prescribed Lamictal for my epileptic spells.
Gonna be in the hospital another day or so.
Anybody else deal with both epileptic and psychogenic seizures? It would be nice to hear about some individuals that have the issue of detrmining spells caused by unconscious mood stressors vs spells caused by epilepsy. How do you cope? What triggers have you found? Have you found a difference between the two?
AJ
Re: Psychogenic AND Epileptic. Anyone else have this too?
Submitted by phylisfjohnson on Thu, 2011-05-26 - 12:15
Yes, I have both and here's a little research:
Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures – (PNES)
PNES as defined by the Epilepsy Foundation, is a psychogenic non-epileptic seizure. They’re caused by psychological trauma or conflict that impacts the patient’s state of mind.
The Epilepsy Foundation states that sexual or physical abuse is the leading cause of psychogenic seizures, where the abuse occurred during childhood or more recently: life changes, like death and divorce are another possible cause of a psychogenic seizures. This form of seizure often resembles a complex partial or tonic-clonic (grand-mal) seizure, with generalized convulsions, stiffening, jerking, falling, shaking and crying. Less often, a psychogenic seizure resembles a complex partial seizure, with a temporary loss of attention.
Interestingly, about 1 in 6 of these patients either already has epileptic seizures or has had them. So different treatment is needed for each disorder. Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures are most often seen in adolescents and young adults, but they also can occur in children and the elderly. And they are three times more common in females!
Doctors have identified certain kinds of movements and patterns that seem to be more common in psychogenic seizures than in seizures caused by epilepsy. Some of these patterns do occur occasionally in epileptic seizures however, so having one of them does not necessarily mean that the seizure was non-epileptic.
Phylis Feiner Johnson www.epilepsytalk.com
Yes, I have both and here's a little research:
Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures – (PNES)
PNES as defined by the Epilepsy Foundation, is a psychogenic non-epileptic seizure. They’re caused by psychological trauma or conflict that impacts the patient’s state of mind.
The Epilepsy Foundation states that sexual or physical abuse is the leading cause of psychogenic seizures, where the abuse occurred during childhood or more recently: life changes, like death and divorce are another possible cause of a psychogenic seizures. This form of seizure often resembles a complex partial or tonic-clonic (grand-mal) seizure, with generalized convulsions, stiffening, jerking, falling, shaking and crying. Less often, a psychogenic seizure resembles a complex partial seizure, with a temporary loss of attention.
Interestingly, about 1 in 6 of these patients either already has epileptic seizures or has had them. So different treatment is needed for each disorder. Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures are most often seen in adolescents and young adults, but they also can occur in children and the elderly. And they are three times more common in females!
Doctors have identified certain kinds of movements and patterns that seem to be more common in psychogenic seizures than in seizures caused by epilepsy. Some of these patterns do occur occasionally in epileptic seizures however, so having one of them does not necessarily mean that the seizure was non-epileptic.
Phylis Feiner Johnson www.epilepsytalk.com