title: Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: predisposing factors to diminished quality of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to examine the factors that contribute to the reports of diminished quality of life (QOL) in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES).
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed 62 patients with PNES for quality of life, anger expression and personality, and psychiatric, social and medical histories.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diagnosis of depression, pain syndromes, older age of onset and shorter duration of PNES correlated with poorer quality of life. Elevated anger state, trait and total anger scores correlated with worse quality of life and with Quality of Life in Epilepsy 31 subscales of emotional well-being, medication, cognitive and social effects, seizure worry, and fatigue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study verifies reported correlations between depression and somatic symptoms and quality of life. A novel finding is that of a relationship between quality of life in PNES and anger expression. This result has important implications for psychotherapeutic treatment of PNES in that it provides a potentially modifiable target.
authors.affiliation: Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group, New York, New York 10017, USA. lmyers@epilepsygroup.com
authors.forename: Lorna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lancman
authors.forename: Olgica
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Laban-Grant
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Matzner
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lancman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger / Q000502:physiology; D015984:Causality; D003291:Conversion Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010045:Outpatients; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D014741:Video Recording