Emotional Seizures - thoughts?

[Howll]

So, I've been thinking recently about emotional seizures, seizures caused by a previous traumatic experience etc.
When I first started having seizures as a teen, and they couldn't find anything physically wrong with me, I remember a doctor saying that it could be caused by my "anxiety". I didn't really understand this, but now as an adult and having spoken to my mother about it I realised that this was a dumbed down way of saying that I could be suffering emotional seizures.

I've recently started counselling for my anxiety, and mentioned it to my therapist. She told me that she was actually in the process of treating someone with emotional seizures and said that she would be happy to try and treat me in that way to see if it helps.

I recently read an article on someone who had been diagnosed with emotional seizures, too. This was from a traumatic experience involving a child that she lost, as she blamed herself for the death. It appeared through study that all her seizures were caused by the in built emotion around those thoughts being released suddenly, being too overpowering for her to cope and thus leading her to seize.

It's funny, because almost every seizure I've had I can link in some way to feeling anxious or thinking about something traumatic, and although I know you don't have to be physically thinking about the traumatic experience for your sub concious to pick it up, it strikes me as odd that mine seem to be linked.

What's lead me to write this post is that today I suffered a Petit Mal, and these have become more frequent. I've had three this year, all spaced roughly two months apart. The last two I've had, I've been in deep thought or thinking about having a seizure, working myself up to a point of panic and then bam, it happens.

Today I was out having a smoke and was on Facebook where I saw that someone had posted a video of their Pug convulsing, people were saying it could be a seizure, which started me on thinking about seizures and having one and getting anxious, then it started. I feel that I hold a lot of the anxiety around the actual seizures, although obviously that couldn't have been the original trauma that started them. The petit mals have become more recent after a grand mal last August, so could it be that the PTSD suffered from the grand mal could be triggering these further seizures?

What are people's thoughts on emotional seizures in general? Is it a cop out because doctors just don't know? Is it even real?

 

[Porkette]

Hi Howll,
I have had emotional seizures in the past and what my Dr. told me is that when I was under a lot of emotional problems or things that were bothering me it would in turn fire up the neurons in my brain and then trigger a petit mal or complex partial seizure for me. Also there have been times when the emotional seizures can cause the hormones to change and that is what can also cause a seizure for some people.
A few yrs. ago I had brain surgery to reduce my seizures and I was doing great I was having 300 or more seizures a yr. before the surgery but after the surgery I would have at least 68 at the most which was nothing for me. Then my parents who had been married for 41 yrs. broke up and my father abandon the family that in turn caused me to have 120 seizures the first yr. he left and 121 seizures the following yr. and thanks to my father I know have more brain damage.
Try and keep yourself busy and do things that you enjoy doing. I also had to see a neuropsychologist who did simple tests on me and he found out what the cause was of the increase of seizures as I mentioned. You may want to ask your Dr. to set up an appt. for you to see a neuropsychologist to see what's triggering seizures for you and get the detail and what would help you. I wish you only the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue

 

[acshuman]

You May Have Found Yourself a Great Counselor!

Howll,
You speak about your seizures happening when you are in deep thought about something that was traumatic for you. You also spoke about how you are getting counseling for anxiety. Both of these items(anxiety and the thinking about traumatic happenings in your life) can be causing stress for your brain and that stress could be what is triggering these seizures for you.
I myself have gone through several years of counseling for a severe case of depression and know that being able to talk about some things in my earlier life was oh so beneficial when it came to lowering my stress that accompanied my depression. If this counselor is willing to work with you and understands how the triggers happen that cause the seizures for a person w/E, this counseling could be a huge help for you. All to often counselors don't want to work with a person who has E because they don't understand or know anything about E. If this counselor has this knowledge you may have found yourself a very helpful counselor! :clap:

ACsHuman

 

[smilemily]

Hello,

Stress can be a trigger for all types of medical issues. I read somewhere that somewhere between 70-90% of all medical conditions have a stress component.
Emotional seizures are not a "cop out". They are, in their on way, a separate medical problem. It is very real for some people. The only way to diagnose between a medical and non-medical seizure is through an EEG, where the brainwaves look different depending on the type of seizure. Most doctors, especially neurologists, should be aware of stress seizures.
I have epilepsy and it was recommended to me to see a therapist to better deal with stress.

I wish you all the best!
Emily

 

[valeriedl]

Stress is a huge seizure trigger for me. Also when I'm incredibly upset about something, like when my grandparents passed away and I had to put my cat down. If any of these things are going on I'm almost guaranteed to have a seizure or more.

 

[seagull]

I heard about them,nearest I can get is the panic you get in aura and you panic because of it.
Have given you test maybe need them again

 

[Howll]

Yeah I had an MRI in April, haven't had the results but I'm assuming they can't be bad or else he'd have contacted me. I've got another EEG on Tuesday next week so it'll be interesting to see if anything has changed.

 

[seagull]

They testing you for more general things like legions in brain scar tissue and other unlikely things
The egg is for e but they not an absolute diagnose I had them done about 6now couple been normal others show e.In my case it boink on head by stupid driver who could slap then.There was evidence of fracture on skull but been 10 months old fracture then it not conclusive.I could not even do insurence claim at court proving iincopedence by hospital because no way could it be proved boink

 

[Autumn Breeze]

I keep waiting for the next one. Its almost like I feel it building. I've had several simple partials over the last few days. Then I lost my job on Saturday. It's coming.

 

[Sabbo]

I know that stress & tension definitely bring on my seizures. Sometimes, though, they even occur for no apparent reason--when I'm just having fun.