![]() ![]() Patients can be treated as an outpatient or at an inpatient facility. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.Individual counseling (psychotherapy or talk therapy).Effective treatment methods for nonepileptic seizures may include: However, experts consider medications for mood disorders as a viable treatment plan.Īnother significant part of treatment is determining the root cause of the disorder. TreatmentĪccording to studies, it is still unclear whether medications for epilepsy can help treat nonepileptic seizures. Patients are often referred to a psychiatrist upon diagnosis to help identify if there are psychological reasons, which could be causing the nonepileptic seizures.Īdditionally, it is also possible for patients to be diagnosed with both epilepsy and pseudoseizures. Other techniques may be preferable, but the most commonly and traditionally used is an intravenous injection of saline.Ī near 100-percent certainty in the diagnosis of nonepileptic seizures can be made by specialists after analyzing the video and EEG recordings. In fact, there are many epilepsy centers that use provocative techniques to help in the diagnosis of nonepileptic seizures. In some cases, inductions, activation procedures, or provocative techniques are used, especially when there are no spontaneous episodes that occur during the monitoring, and when the diagnosis is uncertain. This diagnostic procedure may require several hours to days of patient monitoring using a video camera and an EEG until a seizure happens. The diagnosis of nonepileptic seizures usually requires EEG-video monitoring with expert EEG interpretation. To accurately diagnose pseudoseizures, both neurologists and psychiatrists have to work together. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)Īn accurate diagnosis is very important, so patients will receive the appropriate treatment. People with nonepileptic seizures are often misdiagnosed with epilepsy because most of the time, doctors are not there to witness the event. ![]() Since pseudoseizures are usually a result of psychological distress, they can have a number of possible causes, which include: There is also a specific category called conversion disorder with seizures, where pseudoseizures fall into, as stated in the official psychiatric classification (DSM-IV). The most common type of SSD is conversion disorder. These symptoms tend to resemble the symptoms of physical illnesses, such as pain. Somatic symptom disorder (SSD), formerly called somatoform disorder, is a form of mental illness that causes symptoms due to emotional stresses. Other conditions that are often associated with nonepileptic seizures and are believed to be stress-induced include fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and other pain syndromes. These illnesses are regarded as psychosomatic (mind-body) illnesses, such as headaches, chest pain, and asthma. It is also well known that some extreme psychological and emotional stresses can actually cause physical illnesses. People with traumatic psychological experiences can produce physical reactions even without physical illnesses. Pseudoseizures are often stress-induced unlike epileptic seizures, which are a result of physical brain disease. Other mental health conditions may also be present in some people who experience pseudoseizures. The symptoms of pseudoseizures tend to be similar to that of epileptic seizures, which include: Around 20-30 percent of people who are referred to epilepsy centers are diagnosed with nonepileptic seizures, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. Although these type of seizures can occur at any age, most of the patients affected are between the ages of 20-40. Women are also three times more likely to have nonepileptic seizures than men. Pseudoseizures or nonepileptic seizures are fairly common. ![]()
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