title: A cross-sectional survey on French psychiatrists' knowledge and perceptions of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.
abstract: The principal aim of the study was two-fold: to determine French psychiatrists' level of general knowledge of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and to evaluate their perceptions of this condition in a standardized way. The secondary aim was to describe the relationship between level of education and knowledge of PNES and level of experience of case management and perceptions of PNES.
  
  
  
  In this study, psychiatrists were invited by email to answer an online survey. The questionnaire asked about their general knowledge of PNES, and perceptions of PNES were scored using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ).
  
  
  
  We received 1242 replies, and data from 963 respondents were included. The survey revealed that three-quarters of psychiatrists working in France (75%) had never received any training on PNES, and 42% had never managed patients suffering from PNES. In general, participants considered PNES to be a chronic disease with significant impact on patients' quality of life. Although psychiatrists were aware of the importance of psychological trauma in the etiology of PNES, they showed only moderate understanding of this pathology. Terminology and classification of these disorders were poorly known, and the relation between PNES and histrionic personality was massively overvalued. Prior training on PNES was associated with a better level of knowledge and different perceptions of trained psychiatrists compared with that of psychiatrists with no prior training.
  
  
  
  The condition of PNES remains relatively unknown to French psychiatrists, and some of their perceptions were inaccurate. Specific training seems essential for a better understanding of PNES.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Nancy-University, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France; Psychiatry Department, Psychotherapeutic Center of Nancy, CPN, Laxou, France.
authors.forename: Younes
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aatti
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Nancy-University, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France; Psychiatry Department, Psychotherapeutic Center of Nancy, CPN, Laxou, France.
authors.forename: Raymund
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwan
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Nancy, Department of Neurology, Nancy Cedex, France; CRAN, UMR7039, CNRS, Nancy University, Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maillard
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, Inserm UMR S 1106, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Aileen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McGonigal
authors.affiliation: Service d'explorations fonctionnelles du système nerveux, clinique du sommeil, CHU de Bordeaux, place Amélie-Raba-Léon, 33076 Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Arthur
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Micoulaud-Franchi
authors.affiliation: UMR INSERM U930, Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France; CHRU de Tours, Clinique Psychiatrique Universitaire, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: de Toffol
authors.affiliation: CHRU de Tours, Service de neurologie et neurophysiologie clinique, Hôpital Bretonneau, Tours, France; CHRU de Tours, Clinique Psychiatrique Universitaire, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Wissam
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: El-Hage
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Department, Psychotherapeutic Center of Nancy, CPN, Laxou, France; University Hospital of Nancy, Department of Neurology, Nancy Cedex, France. Electronic address: c.hingray@chu-nancy.fr.
authors.forename: Coraline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hingray
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D034742:Electronic Mail; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011570:Psychiatry; D012640:Seizures / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Formation; France; Knowledge; Perception; Psychiatrists; Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures