Psychiatric Symptoms of Epileptic Nature: An Old Hypothesis in Light of Current Psychopharmacologic Advances

Javier Alvarez-Rodriguez

doi:10.4236/ojpsych.2015.51012

Abstract

This paper analyses a hypothesis according to which many positive psychiatric symptoms should be interpreted as symptoms of epileptic nature. When we first raised this proposition, almost fifteen years ago, it was inconsistent with the widespread conviction among psychiatrists that psychopharmacological drugs used to suppress psychiatric symptoms were proconvulsant. But lately, there have appeared numerous neuroscientific investigations that defend the anticonvulsant effect of most psychopharmacological drugs, hence supporting our hypothesis. We have carried out bibliographical reviews in search of the pro- or anticonvulsant role of these substances, particularly lithium, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, dual antidepressants, and antipsychotic drugs. These researches show abundant evidence regarding the anticonvulsant action of these substances, a fact that contributes to a better comprehension of paradoxical relationship between epilepsy and psychoses.

Highlights

Basing us in still valid writings of renowned neuro-psychiatrists of the past century [1] [2], we postulated nearly fifteen years ago an innovative psychiatric hypothesis in which we proposed the epileptic nature of many psychiatric symptoms [3] [4]
We said that productive and/or positive psychic manifestations should be interpreted as expression of simple partial seizures (SPSs) when they appeared in the way: suddenly the attention focused completely on the sole psychic event occurring in mind at this moment
We have been investigating the epileptic origin of these experiences along these years, and recently we proposed to term them Hipersyncronic Mental Automatisms (HMAs) [5]

Summary

Introduction

Basing us in still valid writings of renowned neuro-psychiatrists of the past century [1] [2], we postulated nearly fifteen years ago an innovative psychiatric hypothesis in which we proposed the epileptic nature of many psychiatric symptoms [3] [4]. In these previous writings, we said that productive and/or positive psychic manifestations should be interpreted as expression of simple partial seizures (SPSs) when they appeared in the way: suddenly the attention focused completely on the sole psychic event occurring in mind at this moment. We have been investigating the epileptic origin of these experiences along these years, and recently we proposed to term them Hipersyncronic Mental Automatisms (HMAs) [5]

Methods

Results

Conclusion