title: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: acute change in event frequency after presentation of the diagnosis.
abstract: Seizure frequency during inpatient video EEG monitoring was examined before and after the diagnosis of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) was presented to patients (N=22). A control group of 10 patients with epileptic seizures (ES) were also followed from pre- to postdiagnosis. The number of PNES or ES within the 24-hour period prior to diagnosis was compared with the number of events that occurred within the 24-hour period after presentation of the diagnosis. Findings indicate that patients with PNES had a significant decrease in the frequency of events after diagnosis, while those with ES showed no change in event frequency after diagnosis. Eighteen of twenty-two patients with PNES had no further events during an acute follow-up period. Results suggest that providing patients with a diagnosis of PNES appears to reduce the acute frequency of PNES and may be an important first step in the long-term remediation of PNES. Long-term follow-up is needed to determine if such feedback alters the course of the disorder.
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Treatment Center, Department of Neurology, University of California-Davis Medical Center, 4860 Y Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. sarah.farias@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Sarah Tomaszewski
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Farias
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thieman
authors.forename: Taoufik M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Alsaadi
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014743:Videotape Recording