Nonepileptic Seizures

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Non-epileptic seizures are episodes that briefly change a person's behavior and may look like epileptic seizures.

Non-epileptic seizures (also referred to as pseudoseizures, psychogenic or cryptogenic seizures) are episodic, paroxysmal events not related to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Considered to be of psychological rather than physical origin, they offer a major challenge to diagnosis and treatment. In one study, fully 25 percent of patients referred to an epilepsy center to be evaluated for surgery had non-epileptic seizures.

A person having non-epileptic seizures may have internal sensations that resemble those felt during an epileptic seizure. The difference in these two kinds of episodes is often hard to recognize by just watching the event, even by trained medical personnel.

The episodes resemble true epileptic seizures in many ways. But there is an important difference. They have characteristics which differ from true seizures in important points, including repeatedly normal EEG readings between seizures; lack of any response to therapeutic levels of anti-epileptic drugs; and violent thrashing of all four limbs, especially if not synchronous, during an episode. Epileptic seizures are caused by abnormal electrical changes in the brain and, in particular, in its outer layer, called the cortex. Non-epileptic seizures are not caused by electrical disruptions in the brain.

Non-epileptic seizures tend to be pleomorphic over time (changing in character) and longer than epileptic seizures. Non-epileptic seizures also occur only in wakefulness, whereas epileptic seizures occur in wake and sleep. Anti-epileptic drugs do not stop non-epileptic seizures.
Non-epileptic seizures may occur in people who also have true epileptic seizures. Successful treatment usually involves psychological counseling and may include treatment with psychiatric medication.

epilepsyUSA article

2011, issue 2 --When a Seizure Isn't Caused by Epilepsy (page 6)
Studies suggest that as many as one third of people with seizures that are not responsive to traditional treatments are actually suffering from psychogenic seizures, not epilepsy.

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From the National Institutes of Health

National Institutes of Health

Seizures

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seizures.html

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Seizures are symptoms of a brain problem. They happen because of sudden, abnormal electrical activity in the brain. When people think of seizures, they often think of convulsions in which a person's body shakes rapidly and uncontrollably. Not all seizures cause convulsions. There are many types of seizures and some have mild symptoms. Seizures fall into two main groups. Focal seizures, also called partial seizures, happen in just one part of the brain. Generalized seizures are a result of abnormal activity on both sides of the brain.
Most seizures last from 30 seconds to 2 minutes and do not cause lasting harm. However, it is a medical emergency if seizures last longer than 5 minutes or if a person has many seizures and does not wake up between them. Seizures can have many causes, including medicines, high fevers, head injuries and certain diseases. People who have recurring seizures due to a brain disorder have epilepsy.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke