Anxiety as a differential factor in epileptic versus psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures

Abstract

Anxiety may be a hypothetical factor responsible for psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures. The purpose of this study was to analyse anxiety indexes manifested in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Patients were divided into three groups on the basis of a neurological examination and long-term video-monitoring. Group One ( N=70; 58 F, 12 M) had only psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures. Group Two ( N=40; 31 F, 9 M) had both epileptic seizures and psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures. Group Three ( N=42; 30 F, 12 M) had only epileptic seizures and served as the control group. Patients with psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures, alone or in combination with epileptic seizures scored significantly higher than the epileptic group on the following anxiety measures: Anxiety Sign (Gough) – AxS - ( P<0.001), Expressive-repressive Index (Sandford, Webster and Freedman) - ERI ( P<0.001), and the Neurotic score (Ruesch and Bowman) - NS ( P<0.001). Difference between all three groups were found for the Triad Elevation Index (Lovell)-TI ( P<0.001) and the Frustration Tolerance Index (Beall and Panton) - FT ( P<0.005). These findings suggest that the existence of psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures or the predisposition to such seizures is reflected in the anxiety dimensions of the personality profile. Psychological evaluation of anxiety may help us to gain a better understanding of, and discrimination between, patients with psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures, mixed seizures and epileptic seizures.