Open AccessPhenomenology and psychiatric origin of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures
Author(s) -
Aleksandar J. Ristić,
Igor Petrović,
Nikola Vojvodić,
Srdja Janković,
Dragoslav Sokić
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.135
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 2406-0895
pISSN - 0370-8179
DOI - 10.2298/sarh0402022r
Subject(s) - psychogenic disease , medicine , phenomenology (philosophy) , psychiatry , psychotherapist , psychoanalysis , epistemology , psychology , philosophy
Psychogenic nonepileptic seizure (PNES) is a sudden change in a person's behavior, perception, thinking, or feeling that is usually time limited and resembles, or is mistaken for, epilepsy but does not have the characteristic electroencephalographic (EEG) changes that accompanies a true epileptic seizure [1]. It is considered that PNES is a somatic manifestation of mental distress, in response to a psychological conflict or other stressors [2]. A wide spectrum of clinical presentation includes syncope, generalized tonic-clonic seizure, simple and complex partial seizure, myoclonic seizure, frontal lobe seizures and status epilepticus [3]. Coexistence of epilepsy and PNES is seen in approximately 9% of cases [5]. Between 25-30% of patients referred to tertiary centers and initially diagnosed as refractory epilepsy were on further examination diagnosed as PNES [6, 7]. In DSM-IV [12] PNES are usually categorized under conversion disorder with seizures or convulsions. However, psychiatric basis of PNES may be anxiousness (panic attack), somatization or factitious disorder, simulation, dissociative disorders and psychosis [1].