Q. Dr. Heller,
Can you explain the difference between temporal lobe seizures and pseudo- seizures? Also, any marked difference in their origin or treatment?
A. Temporal lobe seizures cause distortions in perception - such as deja vu and unreality. They sometimes can cause behavioral problems.
Pseudoseizures are "false seizures" - they're really not seizures at all, but hysterical or "conversion reaction" symptoms.
Q. Dr. Heller,
Thank you for your definition on Pseudoseizures and "real" seizures. I suffer from both....one from car accident/head injury and the other from trauma and perhaps BPD origins?
I have been on Depakote (2000mg per day) for nearly 4 years now. I have only had a few break through "real" seizures....yet, I have had pseudo ones from stress, etc. emotional reaction. My question...Depakote does not help Pseudoseizures and is Pseudoseizures a brain misfiring still?
A. What you're describing is a psychological defense system, similar to OCD where a person washes the hands compulsively all night long. Sometimes pseudoseizures are from severe anxiety, social phobia, hypochondriasis, etc.
The key is the same as all problems: get all the appropriate diagnoses, get a full treatment plan, and see how much better you'll feel when everything is effectively treated. So many people with anxiety related symptoms do much, much better when everything is doing better. You can then learn new responses and new ways of interpreting stress.