Questioning the role of abuse in behavioral spells and epilepsy.
Past sexual trauma is frequently linked to the development of behavioral spells, present among 30% of patients admitted for video/EEG monitoring. Current attempts to verify and explore mechanisms in this reported association revealed that patients with epilepsy (n=58) and those with behavioral spells (n=38) did not differ in their self-report of past sexual trauma (among approximately 38% in each group). Ninety percent (90%) of men with behavioral spells endorsed past physical abuse, however, compared with 45% of men with epilepsy, and 40% of men with spells likely met current criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Among all patients, the presence of past physical, but not sexual, abuse positively predicted the diagnosis of spells rather than epilepsy. Current findings do not support a preponderance of sexual trauma in behavioral spells, yet within the subset of men with spells, greater exposure to physical abuse and current symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder may be important etiological and sustaining factors.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. daniellegkoby@gmail.com
Danielle G
DG
Koby
Ali
A
Zirakzadeh
Jeffrey P
JP
Staab
Richard
R
Seime
Steven S
SS
Cha
Cindy L
CL
Nelson
Susan
S
Sengem
Randy
R
Berge
Eric A
EA
Marshall
Jean E
JE
Varner
Kristin S
KS
Vickers
Max R
MR
Trenerry
Gregory A
GA
Worrell
D000328:Adult; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*