The psychiatric aspect of epilepsy

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

There is some overlap between epilepsy and mood disorders, say doctors at Harvard Medical School.
It used to be thought that epilepsy was a psychiatric disorder. Even today, misdiagnosis is not uncommon if seizures are mistaken for panic attacks or flashbacks. But epilepsy gives rise to characteristic brain activity, which should aid diagnosis.

Experts at Harvard Medical School point out that there is still a connection between epilepsy and psychiatric disorder, outside of misdiagnosis. Both originate in the brain and more than one quarter of those with epilepsy have psychological symptoms needing treatment. And ten per cent of those in psychiatric hospitals have epilepsy. But these psychiatric disorders are not always diagnosed or treated in the patient with epilepsy - maybe because the symptoms are not typical or doctors think that psychiatric drugs will not work. It should also be borne in mind that some psychiatric drugs can increase the risk of seizures. More awareness of the overlap between epilepsy and mental health could improve the outlook for patients.

Source
Harvard Mental Health Letter May 2006

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