Differential diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic occipital epilepsy and visual seizures in an adolescent case: Is “hallucination” always “hallucination”?

Abstract

Epilepsy is the most common childhood neurological disorder that affects 0.5 to 1.0 % of children younger than 16 years of age. Cognitive and behavioral impairments as well as various psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders can accompany this condition. Among children and adolescents, occipital epilepsy can be easily overlooked because it can mimic other epileptic syndromes and symptoms may be subtle. The initial complaint of a patient suffering from occipital epilepsy could be visual hallucinations. Child and adolescent psychiatrists must be aware of the difference between these neurological-originated hallucinations and others denoting psychopathologies.