Severe Psychiatric Problems Research Articles

Age of Gambling Initiation and Severity of Gambling and Health Problems Among Older Adult Problem Gamblers

This study examined the relationship between age at first gambling experience and severity of gambling and related problems among older adult problem gamblers. Fifty-two problem gamblers over the age of 65 years completed self-report instruments that assessed gambling problems as well as the Short Form 36 health survey. The median age at first gambling experience was 21 years. Compared with gamblers who had a late onset of gambling, those with an early onset wagered more frequently and had more severe medical and psychiatric problems. These data suggest that gambling that begins in adolescence may be associated with an elevated severity of problems throughout the life span among older adult problem gamblers.

HIV Testing and Receipt of Test Results Among Homeless Persons With Serious Mental Illness

The purpose of this study was to determine the rates and predictors of HIV testing and receipt of results among homeless adults with serious mental illness in the initial 3-month period after contact with a community-based case management program. Baseline and follow-up interview data came from clients (N=5,890) in the Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports program, an 18-site, 5-year federally sponsored demonstration designed to evaluate the effect of service system integration on outcomes for homeless persons with serious mental illness. Overall, 38.0% of clients were tested for HIV in the 3 months after program entry; of these, 88.8% returned to receive their test results. Likelihood of being tested was independently associated with having been tested before, more severe psychiatric symptoms and drug problems, level of worry about getting AIDS, younger age, less education, minority status, longer-term homelessness, being sexually assaulted, being arrested, and health services utilization. Among those tested, likelihood of receiving the test results was higher among those with a history of prior testing and return for results, a higher frequency of testing, and more years of education and lower among those with drug abuse problems, outpatient medical service utilization, disability, and sexually transmitted disease. Interaction analyses showed that, for men, greater social support increased the likelihood of both HIV testing and receipt of results, while sexual victimization during follow-up decreased the likelihood that men would return for their HIV results. The majority of homeless clients enrolled in an intensive case management program were not tested for HIV during the 3-month period after program entry. Among those tested, however, nearly 90% reported receiving their results. The findings may enhance the development and targeting of strategies to increase testing and awareness of HIV serostatus among high-risk mentally ill homeless persons.

Psychiatric Correlates of Gambling in Adolescents and Young AdultsGrouped by Age at Gambling Onset

Gambling is a prevalent behavior, yet few studies have investigated its mental health correlates. Although early-onset engagement in behaviors with addictive potential has generally been associated with more severe problems, direct investigation of a nationally representative sample of gamblers grouped by age at onset of gambling has not been performed. To identify differences in psychiatric correlates of gambling and gambling-related attitudes and behaviors in adolescents (aged 16-17 years) and in young adults (aged 18-29 years) with early-onset (before age 18 years) and adult-onset gambling. Logistic regression analysis. Public access data set derived from random-digit-dialing telephone surveys. The study analyzed data from adolescent (n = 235), early-onset adult (n = 151), and adult-onset (n = 204) past-year gamblers and adolescent (n = 299) and adult (n = 187) nongamblers in the Gambling Impact and Behavior Study. Gamblers and nongamblers were compared within each group on measures of sociodemographics and psychiatric health. Adolescent, early-onset adult, and adult-onset past-year gamblers were compared on measures of gambling attitudes and behaviors. Adolescent gamblers were more likely than adolescent nongamblers to report alcohol and drug use and abuse/dependence and depression. Elevated rates of alcohol and drug use and abuse/dependence were observed in early-onset adult gamblers vs adult nongamblers, and only elevated rates of alcohol use were observed in adult-onset gamblers vs adult nongamblers. Substantial differences in reasons for and patterns of gambling were observed among the 3 groups of gamblers. Adolescent-onset gambling is associated with more severe psychiatric problems, particularly substance use disorders, in adolescents and young adults. More research is needed to investigate the relationships and inform prevention and treatment strategies.

Medically Unexplained Symptoms and Neuropsychological Assessment

Several illnesses expressed somatically that do not have clearly demonstrated pathophysiological origin and that are associated with neuropsychological complaints are reviewed. Among them are nonepileptic seizures, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Persian Gulf War unexplained illnesses, toxic mold and sick building syndrome, and silicone breast implant disease. Some of these illnesses may be associated with objective cognitive abnormalities, but it is not likely that these abnormalities are caused by traditionally defined neurological disease. Instead, the cognitive abnormalities may be caused by a complex interaction between biological and psychological factors. Nonepileptic seizures serve as an excellent model of medically unexplained symptoms. Although nonepileptic seizures clearly are associated with objective cognitive abnormalities, they are not of neurological origin. There is evidence that severe stressors and PTSD are associated with immune system problems, neurochemical changes, and various diseases; these data blur the distinctions between psychological and organic etiologies. Diagnostic problems are intensified by the fact that many patients are poor historians. Patients are prone to omit history of severe stressors and psychiatric problems, and the inability to talk about stressors increases the likelihood of suffering from physiological forms of stress.

Comparison of Pretreatment Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes for Alcohol-, Cocaine-, and Multisubstance-Dependent Patients

We investigated whether pretreatment characteristics and measures of outcome differed for alcohol-, cocaine-, and multisubstance-dependent patients receiving outpatient substance abuse treatment. One hundred and forty substance dependent individuals (32 alcohol, 76 cocaine, and 32 multisubstance) enrolled in a 12-week outpatient treatment program were compared across measures of addiction severity, personality, and treatment-readiness at admission. In-treatment, end-of-treatment and 9-month follow-up assessments of treatment outcome were then compared across the three groups. Outcome measures included reduction in problem severity, abstinence, retention, number of sessions attended, dropout, and counselor and patient ratings of treatment benefit. At admission, the multisubstance group had a higher proportion of positive urines, reported more severe drug, alcohol and psychiatric problems, and displayed higher impulsivity and anxiety scores than one or both of the other groups. However, multisubstance patients were more treatment ready in terms of adopting a total abstinence orientation than alcohol or cocaine patients. While a significant reduction in symptoms occurred for the total sample during treatment as well as at follow-up, comparisons of outcomes did not consistently favor any particular group. The three groups had equivalent improvements in eleven of fourteen during-treatment and five of seven follow-up measures. Despite pre-treatment differences, in severity and treatment-readiness, outcomes were more similar than different for alcohol-, cocaine-, and multisubstance-dependent patients. Clinicians should be cautious about forecasting treatment-outcomes for addicted patients based on their primary substances of abuse.

Treatment needs associated with pain in substance use disorder patients: implications for concurrent treatment

Although pain problems are prevalent in substance use disorder (SUD) patients, the special treatment needs of SUD patients with pain have not been investigated. This study examines the problems and behaviors associated with reported pain among veterans treated at eight opioid substitution treatment clinics. Patients reporting pain had more severe medical and psychiatric problems and greater health care utilization. Pain was associated with an increased propensity for misuse of substances with analgesic effects, suggesting that ongoing pain contributes to an altered and more severe pattern of drug-seeking behavior. Patients without pain rarely abused sedatives or opioid medication, indicating that misuse of these substances is unique to co-morbid pain and SUD patients. Patients reporting pain did not differ from patients without pain in use of heroin, alcohol, cocaine or in injection practices, demonstrating that they are truly SUD patients in need of SUD treatment. Pain complicates the treatment of SUD and should be addressed as an important co-morbidity during treatment.

Caregiving burden of families looking after persons with intellectual disability and behavioural or psychiatric problems.

During the last decade, there has been a growing interest in outpatient support services for persons with intellectual disability (ID) and psychiatric and/or behavioural problems and their families. In this study, we explore the family burden that is associated with children or adults with ID and behavioural or psychiatric problems living at home. The research group consisted of 66 clients of In Casa, a project of outpatient treatment. Their average age is 18.97 years and their average IQ 55.37. The Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behaviour (adults) or Reiss Scales for Children's Dual Diagnosis (children) and the Nijmegen Family Situation Questionnaire have been administered. About 62% of the children and 86% of the adults living at home and referred to In Casa have severe psychiatric or behavioural problems as measured by the Reiss scales. The dual diagnosis has a more negative impact on the family situation than the condition of ID only. Parents consider the psychiatric or behavioural problems of their child to be an extra burden and feel it more difficult to raise and manage such a child. This impels them to change the situation and to call on the help of external services. Some methodological questions and the implications of the findings in terms of support needs are discussed.

Psychopathology influences treatment retention among drug-dependent women

Three subgroups of drug dependent women (N = 78) were identified through cluster analysis on MCMI-II scores. Group 1 (26%) presented a relatively benign clinical picture. In contrast, Group 2 (37%) evidenced severe addiction, psychiatric (Axis I), and personality (Axis II) problems. Group 3 (37%) was characterized by fewer Axis I problems, prominent addiction and externalizing (Cluster B) personality deficits. Group membership was significantly associated with retention in a gender-specific day treatment program. Group 2 experienced rapid attrition, with only 36% completing treatment, compared to 57% for Group 1 and 76% for Group 3. Results indicate that drug-dependent women with externalizing psychopathology can be retained in treatment when environmental barriers are removed and an adequate “holding environment” is maintained. However, women with severe psychiatric problems, unstable mood, and interpersonal deficits are less likely to complete treatment. Early identification of women at risk for drop-out affords an opportunity to intervene to prevent its occurrence.

Severity of Substance Abuse and Psychiatric Problems Among Perinatal Drug-Dependent Women

The present study assessed 108 women enrolled in a residential treatment program for perinatal substance abusers in order to examine possible subtypes based on current alcohol, other drug and psychiatric problem severity. Most participants were African-American (81%), unmarried (91%), unemployed (97%), high school graduates (63%) with a mean age of 30 years. The primary substances of abuse were cocaine/crack (87%) and opiates (9%). The majority (79%) of subjects were also nicotine dependent. Drug severity did not distinguish between these groups; however, when cluster analysis was applied to ASI alcohol and psychiatric composite scores, three clusters emerged: (1) high alcohol, drug, and psychiatric problem severity (57%); (2) high drug and psychiatric problem severity (20%); and (3) high drug severity only (23%). Neither current nor childhood demographic characteristics differed among the three groups. However, significant differences were found among selected childhood risk factors, including perceived quality of relationships with family, age of onset of substance use, childhood abuse history, and family history of mental illness. These results emphasize the need for careful assessment and treatment planning that addresses the unique needs of these women.

Expression of anger and alexithymia in patients with psychogenic excoriation: a preliminary report.

Psychogenic excoriation (PE), which is characterized by lesions formed by self-picking, has a significant place among the dermatoses related to psychological factors. Emotions, particularly anger that cannot be expressed, may be important in the etiology. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sociodemographic characteristics of patients with PE and with another psychodermatosis, and compare them in terms of anger, manner of anger expression, and alexithymia. Thirty-one consecutive subjects with PE and thirty-one patients with chronic urticaria were recruited from an outpatient dermatology clinic. All of the subjects completed Toronto Alexithymia Scale and Trait Anger and Anger Expression Scale. PE patients had higher levels of anger (p < .01), tended not to show their anger (p < .05), and were more alexithymic (p < .05). There was also a positive correlation between anger and alexithymia scores (r = .49, p < .05). PE, a severe and chronic psychiatric and dermatological problem, may be related to affect-regulation, particularly anger and alexithymia. Due to the fact that it has a different place among psychodermatoses, individuals with PE might benefit from learning how to regulate their affects other than by excoriation.

Wilson's disease.

Wilson's disease (WD), an inborn error of copper (Cu) metabolism, is now one of the leading liver diseases in children in India. The clinical presentation can be extremely varied viz.,--all forms of acute and chronic liver disease, minimal to severe neurological disease, psychiatric problems, bony deformities, hemolytic anemia and endocrine manifestations. A high index of suspicion is necessary along with a judicious battery of investigations for diagnosis. Hepatic copper estimation is the most reliable test but is not easily available in India. Liver biopsy may not be possible because of bleeding problems and histological features are often not diagnostic of WD. In the absence of hepatic Cu, a low ceruloplasmin, high 24 hour urinary copper and presence of KF rings aid in making the diagnosis. The mainstay of initial therapy is Cu-chelators like D-Penicillamine, and Trientine for reduction in body copper to sub-toxic levels. Subsequent maintenance therapy is necessarily lifelong with D-Penicillamine, Trientine or Zinc. Children on therapy must be monitored regularly for response, side-effects, compliance and rehabilitation. Response to therapy may be unpredictable, but acute and early presentations like fulminant hepatic failures have a poor outcome. All siblings must be screened for WD as early diagnosis and treatment result in a good outcome. The identification of the WD gene on chromosome 13 has led to the possible use of molecular genetics (haplotype and mutational analyses) in the diagnosis of WD. Parent groups/associations must take active part in holistic management of WD.

Cigarette smoking is associated with increased severity of gambling problems in treatment-seeking gamblers.

Cigarette smoking and gambling often co-occur, but very little is known about smoking or its correlates in disordered gamblers. This study compared gambling and psychosocial problems in treatment-seeking gamblers who smoke versus those who do not. At intake to gambling treatment programs, gamblers completed the addiction severity index (ASI) and gambling questionnaires. Subjects were categorized into non-daily smokers (n=107) and daily smokers (n=210). Differences in demographics, gambling variables and ASI composite scores were compared between the groups. The daily smokers were more likely to have a history of treatment for a substance use disorder than the non-daily smokers. After controlling for substance abuse treatment histories, gender and age, the daily smokers demonstrated more severe gambling, family/social and psychiatric problems. Compared to non-daily smokers, the daily smokers gambled on more days and spent more money gambling; they also 'craved' gambling more and had lower perceived control over their gambling. The daily smokers were more likely to be taking psychiatric medications, and they experienced psychiatric symptoms, especially anxiety symptoms, on a greater number of days than non-daily smokers. Results from this study suggest that about two-thirds of treatment-seeking gamblers are current daily cigarette smokers, and smoking status is associated with more severe gambling and psychiatric symptoms. These results warrant further investigation of smoking in gamblers and whether smoking adversely affects the course of treatment or outcomes among gamblers.

Self-Help Group Meeting Attendance among Clients with Dual Diagnoses

This study explores factors associated with self-help group meeting attendance in the aftercare of 81 clients with dual diagnoses of severe mental illness and chemical dependency following their discharge from an inpatient chemical dependency treatment program. It also explores the association between self-help group meeting attendance and treatment outcomes. Data were collected from patient records and results of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) administered as part of an earlier experiment that evaluated the effectiveness of the treatment program. Collaterals also provided follow-up information. Of thirteen variables examined, only two were associated with increased self-help group meeting attendance: having more years of education and having a major substance problem that did not include alcohol. No association was found between self-help group meeting attendance and treatment outcome regarding psychiatric problem severity or five other domains of the ASI. A moderate association was found indicating that more self-help group meeting attendance was related to improvements in the legal problems domain of the ASI. Implications are discussed for future research and for improving self-help group meeting attendance and its influence on treatment outcomes for individuals with dual diagnoses.

Economic grand rounds: Prevalence and cost of treating mental disorders among elderly recipients of Medicare services.

Economic grand rounds: Prevalence and cost of treating mental disorders among elderly recipients of Medicare services.

Use of exclusion criteria in selecting research subjects and its effect on the generalizability of alcohol treatment outcome studies.

Researchers have not systematically examined how exclusion criteria used in selection of research subjects affect the generalizability of treatment outcome research. This study evaluated the use of exclusion criteria in alcohol treatment outcome research and its effects on the comparability of research subjects with real-world individuals seeking alcohol treatment. Eight of the most common exclusion criteria described in the alcohol treatment research literature were operationalized and applied to large, representative clinical patient samples from the public and private sectors to determine whether the hypothetical research samples differed substantially from real-world samples. Five hundred ninety-three consecutive individuals seeking alcohol treatment at one of eight treatment programs participated. A trained research technician gathered information from participants on demographic variables and on alcohol, drug, and psychiatric problems as measured by the Addiction Severity Index. Large proportions of potential research subjects were excluded under most of the criteria tested. The overall pattern of results showed that African Americans, low-income individuals, and individuals who had more severe alcohol, drug, and psychiatric problems were disproportionately excluded under most criteria. Exclusion criteria can result in alcohol treatment outcome research samples that are more heavily composed of white, economically stable, and higher-functioning individuals than are real-world samples of substance abuse patients seen in clinical practice, potentially compromising the generalizability of results. For both scientific and ethical reasons, in addition to studies that use exclusion criteria, outcome research that uses no or minimal exclusion criteria should be conducted so that alcohol treatment outcome research can be better generalized to vulnerable populations.

Factors associated with inpatient length of stay for children and adolescents with serious mental illness

This study describes the distribution and length of stay (LOS) for children and adolescents in inpatient psychiatric facilities and identifies factors associated with LOS. The data are from the 1986 Client/Patient Sample Survey, a nationally representative survey conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health. The median national LOS, weighted to population levels, is more than two months for children compared with approximately two and one-half weeks for adolescents. The most important determinants of LOS are type of facility, age, insurance coverage, ethnicity, treatment history, and diagnosis. Key words: adolescents; children; diagnosis; Hispanic ethnic origin; inpatient psychiatric hospitals; insurance; length of stay Recent studies of trends in psychiatric services for children and adolescents reveal that admissions to psychiatric hospitals have increased during the past two decades (Burns, 1991; Pottick, Hansell, Gaboda, & Gutterman, 1993) at the same time that average length of stay (LOS) has decreased (Borchardt & Garfinkel, 1991). Possible reasons for shorter LOS are increased financial pressures and the recently developed consensus that for children and adolescents hospitalization should be used only as a last resort when children have severe psychiatric problems or when home and community-based services are inadequate (Stroul & Friedman, 1988). Ideally, we need to discover the optimum LOS for children and adolescents with specific psychiatric problems and service needs and then tailor inpatient programs to provide services in the context of comprehensive home and community-based outpatient programs. Of course, the present reality falls short of this ideal, and it is likely that LOS is influenced by a number of factors in addition to patient needs. The study discussed in this article examined the effects of several patient, insurance, and hospital factors on LOS. It built on our previous work, which found that insurance, illness, and age factors were associated with the selection of children and adolescents into inpatient or outpatient treatment (Pottick, Hansell, Gutterman, & White, 1995). With the same national data set from that study, we examined factors associated with LOS. We expected that the factors that influence pathways into care are different from factors that keep children in care. The analysis is based on the Andersen and Newman (1973) and Andersen (1995) model of health care utilization, for which the use of health care services was predicted by illness (or need) factors, predisposing factors, and enabling factors. Illness factors refer to indicators of illness that signal a need for services, such as illness diagnosis and severity. Predisposing factors refer to pre-existing characteristics of individuals that influence the likelihood of service use, such as demographic characteristics, illness history, and beliefs about health and services. Enabling factors refer to family and community resources that make utilization possible, including family resources and income, level of insurance coverage, availability of an adult to provide care in the home, and access to health facilities and providers in the community. The model's efficacy has been supported in part by a number of studies on physical health utilization, especially among adults. Recently, three studies (Padgett et al., 1993; Patrick et al., 1993; Pottick, Hansell, Gaboda, & Gutterman, 1995) found this model useful for explaining mental health utilization for children and adolescents. The present study used youth data from the 1986 Client/Patient Sample Survey (CPSS), a nationally representative survey conducted by the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) that describes the distribution and LOS of children and adolescents in different types of inpatient facilities in the United States. Earlier analyses of these data (for example, Burns, 1991; Pottick et al., 1995) compared the illness, predisposing and enabling characteristics of children and adolescents in inpatient, outpatient, and partial care. …

Self-injurious skin picking: clinical characteristics and comorbidity.

Repetitive skin picking, a self-injurious behavior that may cause severe tissue damage, has received scant empirical attention. The authors examined the demographics, phenomenology, and associated psychopathology in a series of 31 subjects with this problem. Subjects were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV for Axis I and Axis II disorders. They also completed several mood questionnaires and a new self-report inventory designed to assess phenomenology, triggers, cognitions, emotions, and consequences associated with skin picking. The mean age at onset on self-injurious skin picking was 15 years, and the mean duration of illness was 21 years. All subjects picked at more than one body area, and the most frequent sites of skin picking were pimples and scabs (87%). The most common comorbid Axis I diagnoses were obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; 52%), alcohol abuse/dependence (39%), and body dysmorphic disorder (32%). Forty-eight percent (N = 15) of the subjects met criteria for at least one mood disorder, and 65% (N = 20) for at least one anxiety disorder. The most common Axis II disorders were obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (48%) and borderline personality disorder (26%). Self-injurious skin picking is a severe and chronic psychiatric and dermatologic problem associated with high rates of psychiatric comorbidity. It may be conceptualized as a variant of OCD or impulse-control disorder with self-injurious features and may, in some cases, represent an attempt to regulate intense emotions.

Dermatitis Artefacta: A Review of 14 Cases

Dermatitis artefacta (DA) is a self-inflicted dermatologic injury sometimes produced for secondary gains. Laboratory investigations, including histologic examination of lesional tissue biopsy, are usually negative and do not give a clue to the correct diagnosis. Over a five-year period, 14 patients were diagnosed with DA at King Fahad Hospital (KFH) in Al Baha during routine outpatient and inpatient dermatologic consultations. The diagnoses were based on vagueness of history given by the patients, and the presence of bizarre skin lesions distributed over sites accessible to the patientsA centAA hands. Investigations excluded the possibility of other diseases. In some cases, consultant psychiatric assessment was sought in order to identify possible underlying psychopathologic factors. Seven patients were hospitalized while the rest were managed as outpatients. The 14 patients comprised 12 females and two males aged 12 to 71 (mean 25.9) years. All except one were Saudis. DA in the males was probably caused for secondary gains. The females, four of whom were married and eight single, were aged 12-36 (mean 21.8) years. Nine of the females (64%) had identifiable severe emotional or psychiatric problems. The remaining two were unmarried and had no identifiable underlying factors. This study reveals that the presentation of DA in Saudi Arabia is essentially similar to what has been reported from other parts of the world. It brings into focus a medical problem which needs to be recognized, as greater awareness may bring about earlier correct diagnosis and treatment.

What Changes are of Value in Severely Disturbed Children?

Useful outcome research must use measures that are relevant to the clinical group in question. A literature review identified that little effort has been made to identify which areas of outcome are important for severely disturbed children with complex disorders, who are in day treatment. For a group of such children attending a psychiatric–educational day unit, this study set out to identify, at a qualitative level, which areas of change were valued by carers, teachers and clinicians. The results suggest that for children with severe psychiatric and educational problems a useful intervention need not involve large changes in the child. It was more important that the child’s informal and formal care network: carers, teachers, clinical staff and the professionals in other agencies, were able to reach a common understanding of the child’s difficulties, develop similar expectations of the child’s needs, and be able to agree on appropriate future plans for the child.

Psychiatric features of children and adolescents with pseudoseizures.

Pseudoseizures may occur as a somatoform disorder in children and adolescents as well as adults. However, few data are available about psychiatric features or outcome in pediatric patients. We studied 34 patients (25 girls [74%]) who were evaluated by a child psychiatrist at our institution immediately after diagnosis of pseudoseizures by ictal video electroencephalogram (EEG) at ages 9 to 18 years (mean age, 14 years). Each patient had at least 1 pseudoseizure recorded by video EEG that was judged by the patient and family as typical, characterized by unresponsiveness plus limb twitching or limpness and other features, with EEG showing persistence of normal cortical background rhythms. In addition to conversion disorder, 11 patients (32%) had mood disorders including major depression, bipolar disorder, or dysthymic disorder, usually with severe psychosocial stressors. Eight children (24%) had separation anxiety and school refusal with moderate psychosocial stressors. Two patients (6%) had brief reactive psychosis or schizophreniform disorder. A few (1-3) patients each had panic disorder, overanxious disorder, adjustment disorder, oppositional/defiant disorder, or impulse control disorder. Four patients (12%) also had personality disorders. Eleven patients (32%) had a history of sexual abuse. This was especially frequent in the subgroup with mood disorders (7 [64%] of 11 patients). Fifteen patients (44%) had severe family stressors including recent parental divorce, parental discord, or death of a close family member. Two patients (6%) had a history of physical abuse. Freedom from pseudoseizures for the preceding 9 to 55 months (mean, 30 months) was achieved for 15 (72%) of the 21 patients who could be reached for telephone follow-up. For 8 (53%) of these 15 patients, the last pseudoseizure was within 1 month of diagnosis by video EEG. Major mood disorders and severe environmental stress, especially sexual abuse, are common among children and adolescents with pseudoseizures and should be considered in every case. A subgroup of children with separation anxiety and school refusal had less severe psychiatric problems and moderate psychosocial stressors. Clear diagnosis by video EEG, together with prompt psychiatric evaluation and treatment, may result in freedom from pseudoseizures for most children and adolescents.