A case of misdiagnosed epilepsy in a patient with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures
10.3760/cma.j.cn113661-20240731-00256
- VernacularTitle:心因性非癫痫性发作误诊为癫痫1例
- Author:
Shuting CHEN
1
;
Zheng LIN
1
Author Information
1. 浙江大学医学院附属第二医院精神科，杭州 310009
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Epilepsy;
Psychogenic nonepileptic seizure;
Dissociative disorders;
Electroencephalogram
- From:
Chinese Journal of Psychiatry
2025;58(6):480-483
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are involuntary experiential behavioral responses to psychological stimuli, resembling epileptic seizures but without neuropathophysiological changes. This paper reports a 28-year-old female patient who complained of"repeated limb convulsions, falls, and unresponsiveness for over 7 years". She had been misdiagnosed with epilepsy for many years. Based on systematic physical and mental examination, long-term symptom observation, brain imaging and repeated ambulatory-electroencephalography (EEG) results, the patient was ultimately diagnosed with PNES. Following a combination of pharmacological treatment and psychotherapy, her symptoms significantly improved, and her social functioning was restored. PNES displays a complex etiology, diverse clinical manifestations, and is difficult to distinguish from epilepsy, leading to frequent misdiagnosis. This case report aims to provide a reference for clinicians in the differential diagnosis and treatment of such patients.
