Epileptic seizures induced by sexual abuse. Pathogenic and pathoplastic factors.
Previous sexual abuse is now thought to be a common cause of non-epileptic seizures (pseudoseizures). However, since sexual abuse is common, a previous history of sexual abuse may also occur in people with actual epilepsy. We present six patients in all of whom sexual abuse may, by acting as a stressor in the already predisposed, have precipitated epilepsy and in some of whom the abuse may have affected the actual experiences of the epilepsy itself: all but one of the patients had partial seizures.
Birmingham University Medical School, UK.
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E
Greig
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Betts
D000035:Abreaction; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003291:Conversion Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004830:Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D014754:Violence