Sleep-deprived electroencephalography, a forgotten investigation in psychiatry; a case series

Objectives Many patients with psychiatric disorders may have epileptic disorders; however, clinical diagnosis without imaging investigation may result in misdiagnosis and thus resistance to treatment. We investigated electroencephalography (EEG) abnormalities in the patients with psychiatric disorde...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of psychiatry in medicine 2023-01, Vol.58 (1), p.69-80
Main Authors: Najand, Babak, Christensen, Andrew, Martin, Michael, Spelman, Mark
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anticonvulsants - therapeutic use
Electroencephalography - methods
Epilepsy - diagnosis
Epilepsy - drug therapy
Epilepsy - psychology
Humans
Psychiatry
Seizures - diagnosis
Seizures - drug therapy
Seizures - etiology
Sleep
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objectives Many patients with psychiatric disorders may have epileptic disorders; however, clinical diagnosis without imaging investigation may result in misdiagnosis and thus resistance to treatment. We investigated electroencephalography (EEG) abnormalities in the patients with psychiatric disorders referred to us with treatment resistance. Methods In this case series study, nine patients with mood and psychotic symptoms who were referred to us at Belmont Private Hospital, Australia, from August 2018 to July 2020, were evaluated. Results Complete examination showed the presence of undiagnosed temporal lobe epilepsy. Notably, the seizure symptoms had been assumed as part of other psychiatric co-morbidities. Conclusions This study suggests the necessity of paying attention to the biological etiologies of mental illnesses in the initial assessments in psychiatric and neurological practice. Performing electroencephalogram and treating such patients with mood stabilizers, which have antiepileptic properties, can change the course of the mental illness decisively.
ISSN:0091-2174
1541-3527
DOI:10.1177/00912174211068361