Epilepsy psychology of the disease. Epilepsy

This statement is not correct.

Epilepsy is a disease of the brain. The disease is based on increased excitability, instability, instability, and a tendency to overreact in the cells of the cerebral cortex.

This leads to periodically occurring pathological discharges in the cells of the cortex cerebral hemispheres brain (epileptic discharges). Depending on the location of the focus of such an increased discharge, there may be various attacks (for example, twitching of the limbs or falls).

It turns out that epilepsy neurological disorder or disease nervous system, but not mental illness.

Not all patients with epilepsy have mental disorders. Not all people with epilepsy have decreased intelligence. Behavior of most people with epilepsy no different from healthy ones.

According to statistics, up to 30% of patients with epilepsy have mental disorders. Typically the clinic mental retardation And behavioral disorders arise due to the underlying organic disease brain, and are not caused by epilepsy.

Most often, we see with epilepsy mental disorders not rude, in the form of impaired attention, memory, school performance, performance, emotional lability.

Severe mental disorders with or in the form of psychosis, depression, are much less common.

So, epilepsy is not a mental illness, but neurological. Caused by pathological discharges in the cerebral cortex. Mental disorders in epilepsy can occur in 30% of cases, but more often they are mild.

In fact, this problem is quite relevant in psychiatry, neurosurgery and neurology. different countries peace. Epilepsy leads to changes in a person’s life, reduces the quality of his life and worsens his relationships with family and friends. This disease will not allow the patient to drive a car ever again in his life; he will never be able to attend a concert of his favorite band or go scuba diving.

History of epilepsy

Previously, the disease was called epileptic, divine, demonic possession, and Hercules' disease. Many great people of this world suffered from its manifestations. Some of the loudest and most popular names include Julius Caesar, Van Gogh, Aristotle, Napoleon I, Dostoevsky, Joan of Arc.
The history of epilepsy is shrouded in many secrets and mysteries even to this day. Many people believe that epilepsy is an incurable disease.

What is epilepsy?

Epilepsy is considered neuropsychiatric disease chronic course With multiple reasons occurrence. The symptoms of epilepsy are varied, but there are certain specific clinical signs:

• repeated, which are not provoked by anything;
• fickle, transient of man;
• changes in personality and intelligence that are practically irreversible. Sometimes these symptoms develop into.

Causes and features of the spread of epilepsy

In order to accurately determine the epidemiological aspects of the spread of epilepsy, it is necessary to carry out several procedures:

• brain mapping;
• determine brain plasticity;
• explore the molecular basis of excitability nerve cells.

This is what scientists W. Penfield and H. Jasper did, who performed operations on patients with epilepsy. They, to a greater extent, created maps of the brain. Under the influence of current, individual parts of the brain react differently, which is interesting not only scientific point point of view, but also from a neurosurgical point of view. It becomes possible to determine which areas of the brain can be painlessly removed.

Causes of epilepsy

It is not always possible to identify the cause of epilepsy. In this case, it is called idiopathic.
Scientists have recently discovered that one of the causes of epilepsy is considered to be a mutation of certain genes that are responsible for the excitability of nerve cells.

Some statistics

The incidence of epilepsy varies from 1 to 2%, regardless of nationality and ethnicity. In Russia, the incidence ranges from 1.5 to 3 million people. Despite this, individual convulsive conditions that are not epilepsy are several times more common. Almost 5% of the population has suffered at least 1 seizure in their lifetime. Such attacks usually arise from the influence of certain provoking factors. Of these 5% of people, a fifth will definitely develop epilepsy in the future. Almost all people with epilepsy suffered their first seizure in the first 20 years of life.
In Europe, the incidence is 6 million people, 2 million of whom are children. On the planet on this moment There are about 50 million people with this terrible disease.

Predisposing and provoking factors for epilepsy

Seizures in epilepsy occur without any provoking moments, which indicates their unpredictability. However, there are forms of the disease that can be provoked:

• flickering light and ;
• and taking certain medications;
• strong emotions of anger or fear;
• drinking alcohol and frequent deep breathing.

In women, menstruation may become a provoking factor due to changes in hormonal levels. In addition, during physiotherapeutic treatment, acupuncture, and active massage, activation of certain areas of the cerebral cortex can be triggered and, as a result, the development of a convulsive attack. Taking psychostimulants, one of which is caffeine, sometimes causes an attack.

What mental disorders can occur with epilepsy?

In the classification of human mental disorders in epilepsy, there are four points:

• mental disorders foreshadowing a seizure;
• mental disorders that are a component of the attack;
• mental disorder after the end of the attack;
• mental disorders between attacks.

Mental changes in epilepsy are also distinguished between paroxysmal and permanent. Let's first consider paroxysmal disorders psyche.
The first are mental attacks that are harbingers of convulsions. Such attacks last from 1-2 seconds. up to 10 minutes.

Transient paroxysmal mental disorders in humans

Such disorders last for several hours or days. Among them we can highlight:

• epileptic mood disorders;
• twilight disturbances of consciousness;
• epileptic psychoses.

Epileptic mood disorders

Of these, dysphoric conditions are considered the most common. The patient is constantly sad, embittered towards those around him, and constantly fears everything for no reason. From the predominance of the symptoms described above, melancholic, anxious, and explosive dysphoria occurs.
Very rarely there may be an increase in mood. At the same time, the sick person displays excessive and inadequate enthusiasm, foolishness, and clowns around.

Twilight darkness of consciousness

The criteria for this condition were formulated back in 1911:

• the patient is disoriented in place, time and space;
• there is detachment from the outside world;
• inconsistency in thinking, fragmentation in thinking;
• the patient does not remember himself in a state of twilight consciousness.

Symptoms of twilight consciousness

Begins pathological condition suddenly without warning, and the condition itself is unstable and short-term. Its duration is about several hours. The patient's consciousness is gripped by fear, rage, anger, and melancholy. The patient is disoriented, cannot understand where he is, who he is, what year it is. The instinct of self-preservation is significantly muted. During this state Vivid hallucinations, delusions, and inconsistency of thoughts and judgments appear. After the attack ends, post-attack sleep occurs, after which the patient does not remember anything.

Epileptic psychoses

Human mental disorders with epilepsy can also be chronic. Acute cases occur with and without clouding of consciousness.
The following acute twilight psychoses with elements of clouding of consciousness are distinguished:

1. Prolonged twilight states. They develop mainly after full-blown seizures. Twilight continues for up to several days and is accompanied by delirium, aggression, hallucinations, motor agitation, and emotional tension;
2. Epileptic oneiroid. Its onset usually occurs suddenly. This distinguishes it from schizophrenic. With the development of epileptic oneiroid, delight and ecstasy arise, as well as often anger, horror and fear. Consciousness changes. The patient is in a fantastic illusory world, which is complemented by visual and auditory hallucinations. Patients feel like characters from cartoons, legends, and fairy tales.

Of the acute psychoses without clouding of consciousness, it is worth highlighting:

1. Acute paranoid. With paranoia, the patient is delusional and perceives the environment in the form of illusory images, that is, images that actually do not exist. All this is accompanied by hallucinations. At the same time, the patient is excited and aggressive, since all hallucinations are threatening.
2. Acute affective psychoses. Such patients have a depressed, melancholy, angry mood with aggression towards others. They blame themselves for all mortal sins.

Chronic epileptic psychoses

There are several described forms:

1. Paranoid. They are always accompanied by delusions of damage, poisoning, relationships, and religious content. An anxious and angry character is considered specific to epilepsy. mental disorders or ecstatic.
2. Hallucinatory-paronoid. Patients express fragmented, unsystematized thoughts, they are sensual, undeveloped, there are a lot of specific details in their words. The mood of such patients is depressed, melancholy, they experience fear, and clouding of consciousness often occurs.
3. Paraphrenic. With this form, verbal hallucinations occur and delusional ideas are expressed.

Persistent mental disorders of a person

Among them are:

• Epileptic personality change;
• Epileptic dementia (dementia);

Epileptic personality changes

This concept includes several states:

1. A formal thought disorder in which a person is unable to think clearly or think quickly. The patients themselves are verbose and thorough in conversation, but they cannot express the most important thing to their interlocutor, they cannot separate the main thing from something secondary. The vocabulary of such people is reduced, they often repeat what has already been said, use formulaic figures of speech, and insert words into their speech in diminutive forms.
2. Emotional disorders. The thinking of these patients is no different from people with formal thought disorder. They are irritable, picky and vindictive, prone to outbursts of rage and anger, often rush into quarrels, in which they often show aggression not only verbal, but also physical. In parallel with these qualities, excessive courtesy, flattery, timidity, vulnerability, and religiosity are manifested. By the way, religiosity used to be considered specific sign epilepsy, which could be used to diagnose this disease.
3. Character change. With epilepsy, special character traits are acquired, such as pedantry, hypersociality in the form of thoroughness, conscientiousness, excessive diligence, infantilism (immaturity in judgment), the desire for truth and justice, and a penchant for teaching (banal edifications). Such people treat their loved ones with great value and are very attached to them. They believe that they can be completely cured. The most important thing for them is self, own ego. Moreover, these people are very vindictive.

Epileptic dementia

This symptom occurs if the course of the disease is unfavorable. The reasons for this are not clear at this time. The development of dementia occurs mainly after 10 years of illness or after 200 convulsive attacks.
The progression of dementia is accelerated in patients with low intellectual development.
Dementia manifests itself as slowing mental processes, stiffness in thinking.

Doctors made the diagnosis of epilepsy back in ancient times. The manifestations of the disease and the patterns of its development have been very well studied. However, for non-specialists this disease still remains mysterious. There are many misconceptions associated with epilepsy, which sometimes has a very unpleasant effect on the quality of life of the patients themselves and their loved ones. In this article we will try to dispel the most famous of these myths.

Source: depositphotos.com

Epilepsy is a mental disease

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease that periodically manifests itself primarily as loss of consciousness or short-term loss of self-control. This is a physical problem, not a mental one; it is based on the pathological activity of neurons in the cerebral cortex. Patients are treated and registered not with psychiatrists, but with neurologists and neurologists.

All epileptics suffer from dementia

The statement is absolutely false. Most people with epilepsy do not show any signs of decreased intelligence or difficulty mental activity. In the intervals between attacks, they live normally, work actively and achieve considerable professional success. It is enough to note that many great writers, artists, scientists, politicians and generals were epileptics.

In some severe brain lesions manifested by dementia, epileptic seizures are also observed, but in these cases they will be a concomitant condition, and not the cause of mental retardation.

Epilepsy is incurable

This is wrong. With correctly prescribed treatment and patients carefully following the recommendations of doctors, in 70% of cases the condition improves so significantly that in the future patients can live without taking antiepileptic drugs.

Epilepsy can be infected

Probably the reason for the misconception was the fact that epilepsy in newborns sometimes develops as a result of intrauterine infection. For example, a sick child may be born to a woman who suffered from rubella or toxoplasmosis during pregnancy.

But the disease itself has nothing to do with infections. It is impossible to become infected with it.

The main signs of an attack are convulsions combined with foam at the mouth

The name “epilepsy” unites about 20 conditions, only a small part of which manifest themselves in this way. For many epileptics, seizures are not at all spectacular. Most often, patients simply lose touch with reality for a few seconds or minutes. At the same time, others may not notice anything unusual, mistaking the person’s immobility and absent gaze for signs of deep thoughtfulness. In other patients, the disease leads to cramps of certain muscle groups without loss of consciousness. Many epileptics report visual, auditory or olfactory hallucinations, panic attacks or, on the contrary, unreasonable mood swings and even feelings of “déjà vu”.

There are also seizures during which patients, being in a state of loss of contact with reality, perform complex actions that outwardly look meaningful, but are not aware of their purpose and consequences.

It's easy to predict when a seizure is coming

Epileptics sometimes actually experience characteristic sensations that can be used to determine the approach of a seizure a few seconds before its onset. Unfortunately, such a premonition happens rarely and has virtually no effect on the quality of life, since the patient will still not be able to prevent an attack. This is why certain types of activities are contraindicated for people suffering from epilepsy (driving a car, working near bodies of water, etc.).

Antiepileptic drugs are very dangerous

Modern drugs against epilepsy - serious means having contraindications and side effects. The choice of medication should be made by a doctor. Typically, treatment with such drugs begins with minimum quantity at one time, gradually increasing the dose until therapeutic effect. Medicines are used for a long time. It is impossible to interrupt the course without consulting a specialist; this is fraught with intensification of the disease and the development of life-threatening conditions.

Epilepsy develops in people who were easily excitable in childhood

This is a very old misconception, which is sometimes observed even among doctors. Pediatricians who are susceptible to it sometimes prescribe anticonvulsants to overly excitable children.

In fact, the inability to concentrate, mood swings, tendency to tantrums and other qualities characteristic of some restless children have nothing to do with the reasons for the development of epilepsy. This does not mean that such a child does not need the help of a neurologist or child psychologist.

All epileptics suffer from the disease from an early age

Epilepsy can appear at any age, but about 70% of cases occur in people who become ill early childhood or in old age. In children, the disease develops due to hypoxia suffered during the period intrauterine development or during the birth process, as well as due to congenital diseases brain. In older people, the development of epilepsy is often caused by strokes and brain tumors.

The main factor that provokes an attack is flickering light

This is wrong. List of factors that can cause epileptic seizure, includes:

• decreased blood glucose levels (for example, due to a long break between meals);
• lack of sleep, fatigue;
• stress, anxiety;
• alcohol intake, hangover syndrome;
• use of narcotic drugs;
• taking certain medications (including antidepressants);
• increased body temperature;
• menstruation.

Women with epilepsy should not become pregnant

The presence of the disease does not affect the ability to become pregnant and give birth to a child. On the contrary, during the period of gestation, the condition of expectant mothers suffering from epilepsy improves, and seizures almost stop. The disease is not inherited. About 95% of pregnancies in epileptic women result in the birth of healthy babies.

1. EPILEPSY- (Louise Hay)

Causes of the disease

Persecution mania. Giving up life. Feeling of intense struggle. Self-violence.

From now on I consider life eternal and joyful.

2. EPILEPSY- (V. Zhikarentsev)

Causes of the disease

Feeling of persecution. Denial of life. Feeling of a huge struggle. Violence towards oneself.

A Possible Solution to Promote Healing

I choose to view life as eternal and joyful. I am eternal (eternal), I am filled with joy and peace.

3. EPILEPSY- (Valery Sinelnikov)

Description of the reason

This is a consequence of strong mental stress. Such tension can be generated by subconscious panic, mania of persecution, a feeling of strong internal struggle, and a desire to commit violence. A person inflates himself so much with his thoughts that the body at times refuses to listen to him and makes erratic movements. During a seizure, consciousness is completely or partially switched off. This once again emphasizes that the causes of the disease are hidden in the subconscious.

I have found that in those people who are prone to seizures, high level subconscious aggression towards the surrounding world and towards people. This aggression can be expressed in hatred, contempt, jealousy.

I treated a 17-year-old girl for epilepsy. Her attacks began some time after her menstruation. The doctors, of course, did not try to find out the reasons and blamed everything on transitional age. The girl's consciousness blacked out for a short time, convulsive syndrome was expressed slightly, but it really frightened her and her parents. She tried taking pills prescribed by a neurologist, but after a while she gave up on them. As she said: “After taking them, some strange, clearly abnormal changes in my psyche began to occur.”

We began to find out the subconscious causes of the disease, and it turned out that this is very strong aggression to parents and to men. These programs were silent while she was a child, and began to actively work during her puberty. I spent two sessions with her, and the attacks stopped.

A year and a half later she came to me again.

— Doctor, you know, for a year and a half there were no attacks and I felt great, I finished school with excellent marks. But recently I felt that my consciousness seemed to be turning off. It only happened once. There are no seizures. But I became wary and decided to come to you right away.

“Maybe you can tell me the reasons yourself,” I suggested to her. — After all, during our work together you have learned a lot.

“Yes, I can guess what the reason is,” the girl said slowly. “This year I decided to go to college in another city, but my parents insist that I study near them. And it was on this basis that we had a conflict with them. Yes, now I understand, I have old thoughts again.

Once, when I was just starting my medical career, I witnessed how one traditional healer treated epilepsy in young guy. He sat him in a circle and began to read certain prayers. The guy began to twist, to turn inside out. The male healer walked in a circle and said prayers, and the guy sat in the circle and writhed. The spectacle was truly dramatic. Finally the healer stopped, raised his hands in the air and shouted: “Get out, Satan!” The guy, twisting his lips and clearly not obeying his will, groaned: “I won’t go out.” The man again began to read prayers and walk in a circle with a candle. At the end of the ritual, he shouted the same words again. The guy moaned again, but quieter. It all happened again. And after the third time, the guy sank to the floor, exhausted, and fell asleep. He slept for a very long time and then went home. The attacks did not recur. I was amazed. “A powerful healer,” I thought. “I want to learn this too.” Just like in the New Testament when Jesus cast out demons!”

I decided to watch this guy. For six months he was in good health and had no seizures. But then one day he came again. The attacks began and became even stronger than before treatment. The healer performed the same healing ritual. Improvement came again, but not for a long time, but only for one day, after which the attacks recurred. Subsequently, the same prayers no longer helped, and the parents young man were forced to seek help from official medicine, although they already knew from experience that it was impossible to cure this disease with pills.

After this incident, I realized that it is impossible to cast out a demon or Satan, that is, a disease, from the soul. The cause of the disease must be eliminated. Jesus Christ warned about this. He said that the demon, who was driven out, would return again and bring seven more with him, worse than the first. And a few years later I came to the conclusion that there are no dark or light forces at all. Any power can be used to benefit yourself and those around you.

What about this guy? I had several sessions with him. I succeeded with the help homeopathic medicines and hypnosis significantly alleviate his condition. Then I lost sight of him. Later, I examined his subconscious programs and found out that the cause of his seizures was a strong subconscious aggression towards the world around him.

Epilepsy is often found in adolescence, just at the time when it begins puberty. This sets into motion certain negative subconscious programs. Internal tension is growing.

Recently, a mother and her 15-year-old daughter came from the area for an appointment. Three years ago, a girl had a seizure at night, which was accompanied by loss of consciousness and convulsions. Subsequently, these attacks were repeated. Doctors diagnosed epilepsy and prescribed chemicals.

“Tell me,” I turned to her mother, “did the girl have her period?”

“She still doesn’t have them,” she answered. “In addition, the ultrasound showed that she has a very small, underdeveloped uterus.

- I’ll give you special ones now homeopathic remedies, - I said, - which you will take strictly according to the scheme. At first there will be a deterioration in the condition, attacks may intensify and be more frequent. But then she will start menstruating and the disease will disappear. Irina,” I turned to the girl, “did your mother tell you anything about menstruation, about sexual development?”

“No,” she answered embarrassedly.

“Then I’ll tell you, and at the same time mom will listen.”

After that, I gave the girl a whole lecture about sexual development, the function of a woman in this world, the joys of motherhood and marriage.

A month later they came for an appointment again.

- How are you doing? - I asked.

“Doctor,” the girl’s mother began her story, “everything was as you said.” At first there was an aggravation. It lasted three days, or rather three nights, and then everything stopped and a week later my period began. Now she feels great. There were no attacks during this time. Urination returned to normal and swelling went down. And we would like to consolidate our success.

Let's look at the concept of epilepsy. If we take the electrical component as a basis, it turns out that with this disease there is a pathological focus in the cerebral cortex. Electrochemical impulses cannot pass through it freely. The charge gradually accumulates, and at some point a “breakdown” of the entire system occurs. A powerful impulse goes to the membranes of the brain and to the whole body. This is manifested by convulsions and loss of consciousness.

Chemical drugs suppress not only the painful focus, but also the entire cerebral cortex with all the ensuing consequences.

I developed fundamentally new approach in the treatment of this disease. Why suppress the pathological focus? It is necessary to create new lines and feedbacks in the cerebral cortex, and electrical impulses will bypass this focus. And gradually this part of the brain will be completely restored and will be able to take on its functions again. I have tried this model on several patients and the results are excellent.

4. Epilepsy- (Baginski Bodo J, Sharamon Shalila)

Description of the disease

An epileptic seizure is an experience and liberation from previously suppressed forces and aggression. A seizure forces you to stop holding yourself in control, and thus free yourself from memories and your consciousness.

A Possible Solution to Promote Healing

Respect the energies within you, do not judge them and do not try to repress them into the subconscious. Take a conscious look at yourself. Try to be conscious in your sleep too. Experience and accept everything that comes to your mind while falling asleep, and let it happen. This way you will learn to give and leave behind, and you will not have to be forced into it by fits.

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disease, affecting every hundred people. It is characterized by chronic disorders when electrical discharges occur in certain areas of the brain.

In humans, it manifests itself as a short-term, uncontrollable and spontaneous attack. A person cannot control his sensory, motor and other actions during an attack. It often ends fainting states when a person loses consciousness.

There are three main causes of neurological disease:

• Symptomatic – when specific brain defects are found: tumors, cysts, hemorrhages, etc.;
• Idiopathic – when there is a genetic predisposition;
• Cryptogenic – when the cause of the disease cannot be identified.

But despite the neurological side of its origin, researchers argue that it is often a consequence or cause for the development psychological illness: mental disorder, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Scientists associate this phenomenon with the common source of fire for all diseases – the brain.

Association between neurological disease and mental disorders

Research was conducted in which 9,653 families and about 23.5 thousand descendants participated. Scientists wanted to identify the relationship between neurological disease and mental disorders. As it turned out, people whose family members had a neurological disease were 5.5 times more likely to develop a mental disorder. bipolar disorder 6.3 times, schizophrenia 8.5 times.

Thus, it was found that people with a chronic neurological disease were at risk of developing a mental disorder, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. All this is explained by the common origin of all diseases - the brain. It all starts with the head, namely with dysfunction or defects in its development.

Is a person with a mental disorder at risk for a neurological disease?

If people with a neurological disease are more likely to develop mental illness, are this process V reverse side: Is someone who has psychosis at risk of developing a neurological disease?

The same studies showed that families with a history of epilepsy were twice as likely to develop mental illness compared to families without a history of epilepsy. neurological disorder.

Those. People who were descendants of families with a history of mental illness were 2.7 times more likely to develop epileptic symptoms compared with families without a history of psychosis.

Thus, the connection between neurological disease and mental disorders is established in both directions. And scientists associate this with the common focus of the development of all diseases - the brain, which may not function properly, have disturbances in its development and be subject to other factors.

These studies allow people with one type of disorder to take a more careful approach to their own recovery. Epileptic symptoms are more susceptible to recovery than mental ones. Therefore, people who have a neurological disorder have a chance of not developing even more detrimental diseases.