I’d like to use this month’s blog post to highlight a superb article that was published this year on psychogenic non-epileptic seizures in Clinical Psychology Review (issue 47). In my opinion, this publication is what all professionals who work with PNES should be aspiring to contribute to the field. In past blog posts I have …
For many it may have taken months to years to reach the point of lying in the hospital bed hearing the words: you don’t have “epilepsy,” you have something we call “psychogenic non-epileptic seizures” or “non-epileptic attack disorder.” Getting here may have involved being seen by more than one doctor, receiving all sorts of other …
Many health professionals still hold misconceptions regarding PNES itself. Many still believe that the psychogenic episodes are somehow voluntary in nature. Others are uncertain about prognosis and when it comes to treatment many tend to offer a knee-jerk suggestion of CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) without taking into account that a substantial number of mental health …
Six months ago, Prof. Markus Reuber and one of his doctoral graduate students launched a research study in which patients diagnosed with PNES and epilepsy were invited to participate in a writing experience that tested whether this helped them feel more in control of their condition and reduce their seizures and improve their quality of …
New International Research Project for persons living with PNES (NEAD) Read More »
This year’s conference promises to be superb. We are honored to have as our invited speaker, pediatric neuropsychiatrist, Dr. Rochelle Caplan of UCLA (http://people.healthsciences.ucla.edu/institution/personnel?personnel_id=8660) and we will have several other wonderful speakers talking about both PNES diagnosis and treatment in adults and children. We are also working to set up talks by a few new …
When I was a kid, I was not especially athletic. Rather, I was more on the bookish side of things. In fact, I am a bit ashamed of admitting but on more than one occasion, I convinced my mother to obtain a medical note for me so that I would be allowed to not participate …
Warning: the content in this blog post may be upsetting and hurtful to the reader-it contains insulting and coarse language found on-line describing patients with PNES For a few months three of us have been working on a project examining how often PNES (and all the other names that this condition goes by) appears …
Pseudoseizures, the bias held by some health professionals and this really has to stop! Read More »
From time to time, I invite persons who have experience with PNES and who have useful information to share with others, to post on this blog. Author of the wonderful book “View From the Floor: Non-epileptic seizures: A patient’s perspective”, Kate Berger, is sharing her knowledge and essential tips on how to navigate the school …
I absolutely love this book! View from the Floor is such a delightful book that even after reading it 2 times, I still find it shakes me with its honesty and its superb writing style. Kate Berger speaks in a clear and strong voice throughout and shares generously with the reader. If you have ever …
View from the Floor- Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: A Patient’s Perspective Read More »
This won’t be a surprise to many patients who have been diagnosed with PNES but some of you may be astonished to read: Very little if anything. Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures can go misdiagnosed for an average of 7.2 years.1 In an attempt to remedy this devastating delay, the National Association of Epilepsy Centers-NAEC has established …
