title: Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures and functional motor symptoms: A common phenomenology?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent studies have attempted to compare patients affected by psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) to patients affected by functional motor symptoms (FMS) from a demographic, clinical and psychological perspective. Nevertheless, results are quite controversial and significant conclusions have not been drawn. The aim of our study was to evaluate the phenomenology of psychology of the two groups assessing levels of dissociation and its subcomponents, alexithymia and interoceptive sensitivity in patients with PNES and in patients with FMS.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional study recruiting 20 patients with PNES, 20 patients with FMS and 20 healthy subjects as a control group. All subjects underwent: Dissociative Experience Scale (DES), Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20), Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Hamilton Rating Scale for anxiety (HAM-A), heart beat detection task.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data suggest that PNES group scored significantly higher than the healthy control group on a measure of detachment (CDS). Also at the DES, a measure of psychoform dissociation, PNES patients scored significantly higher than healthy subjects. On the other hand patients affected by FMS scored significantly higher than the healthy control group on the SDQ but they did not report more experiences of detachment on the CDS. Patients affected by PNES and FMS were significantly more alexithymic than healthy controls, with a third of them scoring >61 on the TAS-20.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data show different psychological mechanisms underlying patients with PNES and patients with FMS. This might lead also to potential implications for treatment.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Psichiatria - Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Universita` degli Studi di Milano, Italy. Electronic address: benedetta.demartini@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Demartini
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Psichiatria - Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Universita` degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goeta
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Psichiatria - Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Universita` degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Sciences, St George's University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ricciardi
authors.affiliation: UO Neurologia 2, Centro Epilessia, A.O. San Paolo, Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Universita` degli Studi di Milano, Via A. Di Rudinı`, 8, 20142 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Paola
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Canevini
authors.affiliation: UO Neurologia 2, Centro Epilessia, A.O. San Paolo, Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Universita` degli Studi di Milano, Via A. Di Rudinı`, 8, 20142 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Psichiatria - Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Universita` degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Agostino
authors.affiliation: UO Neurologia I, Istituto Neurologico Besta, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Romito
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Psichiatria - Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Universita` degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Orsola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gambini
mesh_terms: D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires