Eduardo Najar
Latin Agency for Medicine and Public Health News
There are some conditions that tend to resemble an irregularity in a certain system, however, similar symptoms may appear when an individual presents a traumatic episode in his life
The development of epilepsy is an abnormality that usually occurs at the brain level, therefore the patient has circumstances where seizures prevail, however, there are two types of diagnosis, one where it really originates in the nervous system and another called non-epileptic psychogenic seizures and It originates from some unpleasant, traumatic or very sad situation for the individual, that is, it develops on a psychological level.
In an interview with the journal Medicine and Public Health (MSP), Dr. Alfonso Martínez, clinical psychologist, explains the condition and development of psychogenic seizures, the prevalence, the importance of working with the neuronal specialist and finally the treatment.
“Non-epileptic psychogenic seizures is when a person falls to the floor and begins to seizure but is not developing abnormal waves in the brain, the vast majority of these patients have the compulsive episode but an epileptiform signal is not emitted, that is, it is a psychological condition, this disorder tends to be confused with epilepsy or real brain damage ”explained the psychologist.
Neurological evaluation
It is important that the patient who presents seizures is immediately referred to a neurologist, in this way an accurate and accurate diagnosis can be established so that a brain treatment or psychological therapy can be started. In some cases, the patient can present both diagnoses and it is important to work as a team and simultaneously.
“First the neurologist has to carry out an evaluation of the patient and later comment it to the psychologist or psychiatrist if it is a mental event, it is important to work hand in hand to determine the individual’s therapy. (…) There are also 20% of the cases where the person has epilepsy and psychological conditions, this is comorbidity, in this case both specialists help the patient ”said the specialist.
Predominance
Psychogenic seizures predominate in the female population and in those young people, these cases do not usually occur in infants or the elderly.
“The psychogenic condition is a disorder that predominates in women, since 8 to 10 cases are from this population, this figure has been verified internationally. There are also young people between the ages of 18 and 40, it is strange to see it in children or the elderly, it is a condition of the young population, “said the doctor.
Treatment
Depending on the diagnosis given to the patient, the respective treatment is also started, it is important to take into account the development of some disorders that may be accompanying the condition.
“The treatment can be psychological or psychiatric, when it is psychiatric and depression is high, an antidepressant or an anxiolytic is recommended, if it is psychotherapy we must deal with that trauma so that the person speaks, expresses himself and we can address the problem, there are many techniques that can be used (…), the aim is for the person to remove all that they have kept for so long ”concluded Dr. Alfonso Martínez.
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