Part 1: Understanding Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES)

PNES is a disorder where people experience seizure-like events in the absence of EEG changes in the brain. People with PNES are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and mistreated by family, friends, and professionals, so it is important to learn more about the condition and how it can be treated.

In this video, Dr. May provides a thorough explanation of seizures, “seizure imitators” (including PNES), causes of PNES, and co-occurring (or Comorbid) medical, cognitive, and psychological conditions.

Some excellent websites with more info:

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[pegacis]

PNES has a couple of working terms but i know of them as dissociative seizures and I like that term for me as apart from the seizures I also struggle with other symptoms of dissociation, like dissociative amnesia and DID. They usually pop up for a period of a couple months and then go away again. I had one for the first time in a little over a year today they always exacerbate my symptoms of dissociation and also recovered some repressed memories about my molestation

[christalsims]

Very helpful! I will share this with my family so they can have a better understanding of what is going on with me. Thank you for doing the research and for sharing this presentation with providers. ❤

[nickiwardlaw]

Ive suffered these since about age 6. 1st time was at Dr watching my older sister having blood drawn. Most times now its due to medical procedures, dental work, accupuncture sometimes, vaccination and very occasionally from extreme emotional distress. Its a horrible horrible feeling, i often cant stop vomiting for an hour afterward, and I feel extremely weak and tired for at least 24 hrs. Certainly not something you could or would want to fake! Im glad to know what this condition is, and very interesting to find out some of the correlations/comorbidities. Great video, thanks!!

[evalisabowers]

I’m so doubtful that PNES is actually a real thing. The description of what PNES is, fits the description of epileptic symptoms. EEG can be normal for 50 percent in an epileptic seizure, it depends on where in the brain the seizure occurs. And there are 60 different types of epileptic seizures. Focal seizures can be very bizarre and atypical. Epilepsy is very traumatic for the sufferers, of course these patients have trauma symptoms. And the brain of a traumatized person changes so it is not really believable that the medical professionals can diagnose PNES by the evidence of trauma brain. And stress is one of many common triggers for an epileptic seizure and depression is a side effect of epileptic seizures. Epilepsy has been misunderstood and stigmatized since history. And this possibility of a pseudo seizure diagnosis just perpetuates the problem. Now epileptic patients are not being taken seriously and they are being put in a situation where they have to prove that they are actually suffering from the disease. And then there’s the possibility of having both epileptic and non epileptic seizures? That’s so convenient for the medical community when they have a difficult case.

[gemmaknowles]

Thank you for making this video on PNES. It was very helpful on a professional and personal level.

May I share this on my business page? I feel that this may help a lot of people to understand PNES and be more aware of it.

[edgreen]

Used to send them out for physical eval. They tend not to hurt themselves. It was a psychiatric unit. We could see secondary gaines for malingring. But pnes needed to be explained by physicians. Interesting presentation.

[micheldawnsummers]

I’ve been having these for nearly 5 years and no one will help me because I’m not suffering from anxiety and depression, I’ve been called a lier by 2 drs and now I’m just passed around like a toy, I only seem to have them when laid down, the last few months I’ve been having them non stopped through the night that’s lasting 5-6 hours I’m absolutely exhausted and fatigued, I also have 2 heat conditions which it’s affecting giving me chest pains, terrifies me I just don’t know what else I can do to get help

[MikeGardner-bn]

My wife had an aneurysm in her frontal lobe as a child had her first seizure at 22 been dealing with them since the last 10 years her EEG have been normal we live in the Memphis area. Is there doctors here to help us please help

[patricia_rs]

Too bad the investigation and diagnosis of PNES weren’t taken as seriously in the past. My advice, after 27 years walking in the hamster wheel, would be: don’t get on AEDs without making sure you need them. Get treated for anxiety first. And always get psychological support.

[sfulton]

PNES is a real thing . I have PNES . Mine is do to stress. I do the blank face. And shake my head. And can’t move any of my hands or legs. And it lasts for about 10 minutes