Psychotic Disorder Due to Epilepsy

This paper will focus on the history of epilepsy, the causes of the disease specifically its genetic link and the evolution of drug therapies. My interest in this topic stems from working with people with developmental disabilities in a group home setting, many of whom suffer from seizure disorders. I understand that the disease carries a stigma and many people still hide that they have the condition which why it’s important to educate people about it.

The human body is an incredibly complex organic machine. Hundreds of different parts work in unison in order for people to manage daily life. What happens when one of those parts malfunctions? In particular, what happens when the brain is unable to send messages properly? Epilepsy is a complex brain disorder that can have extreme effects in the body, but with the right treatment, seizures and serious side effects may be avoided.

Epilepsy is a disorder where nerve cell activity in the brain becomes disturbed. This activity causes sporadic electrical “storms” in the brain called seizures. During seizures, people experience unusual behavior and symptoms. There are two major types of epilepsy, idiopathic/cryptogenic, symptomatic. Both of these have different causes and affect the body and mind in particular ways.

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder which has affected approximately 50 million people globally (1). It is estimated that 5 to 8 cases of epilepsy occur in 1000 people annually in developed countries (2). This suggests that over 8,000 Australians suffer from the disease every year (3). The most frequent incidence of epilepsy occurs in people in the first two decades of life and people over 60 years old with a male predominance (2, 4, 5). About 1 of every 200 children will have epilepsy in any given year (6). In Australia, the death rate from epilepsy in 2003 was approximately 4 per 10,000 children (7). While in Victoria, the average annual mortality rates attributable to epilepsy for children with epilepsy was 6.6 in 10,000 in 1993 (8).

Staggering numbers were reported in a recent study estimating that over fifty million people world-wide have been given the diagnosis of epilepsy. (Chang et.al 2013) Doctors have estimated that there are at least forty different types of seizure disorders, and patients can indeed have more than one disorder. This makes the management of symptoms within patients difficult at times. However, there is fortunately great news on the horizon. Epilepsy is now being recognized as a brain disorder that is not just seen for its seizure activity, it’s also being recognized for the neurological, psychological, cognitive, and social consequences that this disorder comes with. (Mula and Cock2014)

Epilepsy is the name for several neurological disorders in which people have epileptic seizures. It affects an estimated 65 million people around the world (cureepilepilepsy.org) and varies greatly from case to case. There are several treatment options for patients as well as research for developing better ways to diagnose and treat epilepsy.

Stepping into the room, I observed the woman on the table. Her head was locked into place with a metal frame. Looking into the opening of the head on the monitor, I saw the living, beating, red tissue that makes up the brain. It amazed me how anyone could work so carefully on the microscopic tissues that lie delicately inside of their protective layer, the skull.

Epilepsy is defined as, a neurological disorder where reoccurring abnormal electrical activity occurs in the brain with several biological side effects; such as, loss of consciousness and convulsions. This chronic disease affects nearly 2 million Americans with more patients being diagnosed yearly. The procedure for diagnoses is done using blood tests, neurological exams, and scans using MRI and CT machines. The cause of these epileptic episodes are unknown, and require constant monitoring by the patient and their healthcare staff. Factors to be considered and monitored include: location of the event, how the seizure spreads, how much of the brain is affected, and how long the seizure lasts. The costs to care for patients with this condition has mounted to $15.5 billion a year, with indirect costs of the disease being seven times pricier than other chronic diseases with less suffering patients. The most common procedure involves prescribing anti-epileptic drugs to reduce the occurrence of seizures. This method has worked for many diagnosed with this disease; however, there is a percentage of epileptic sufferers that fall under the category known as Pharmacologically Refractory Epilepsy. This branch of epilepsy is also known as drug resistant epilepsy and affects approximately 30% of patients diagnosed with this disease. Based on this information it can be concluded that epilepsy (particularly pharmacologically refractory epilepsy) isn’t treated properly due to inaccuracy

There are many chronic conditions that can affect people today with one such condition being epilepsy. This disease does not only affect a person physiologically but also affects how they interact with others, perform activities of daily living and the basic needs of a person, such as, driving or maintaining a job. The overall affects of this tragic and chronic disease is it can negatively affect a person’s confidence and therefore affect their basic life choices. Within this paper there will be a discussion of several components of this disease and its subsequent manifestations within the affected person, current treatment modalities and the psychological components that can be overwhelming to the afflicted person.

The term “epilepsy” is derived from Greek word “epilambanein”, which means “to seize upon” or “to attack”. In this modern world, epilepsy is one of the most frequent neurodegenerative diseases. Epilepsy is a condition in which a person has recurrent seizures. Seizure can defined as an abnormal, disorderly discharging of nerve cells of brain; resulting in a temporary disturbance of motor, sensory, or mental function. Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition affecting people of all ages, race, and social class. There are 50 million people with epilepsy in the world, of which up to 75% live in resource - poor countries with less or no access to medical treatment. Overall prevalence rate of epilepsy in India at 5.59 per 1,000 populations,

More than 200,000 Americans have epilepsy. Epilepsy a neurological disorder in which nerve cells are disturbed that then produces seizures. There are different types of seizures: convulsive and non-convulsive. In convulsive seizures an abnormal brain activity occurs. The person loses control and can become unconscious. The person will also move their limbs vigorously. In non-convulsive seizures the person will space out and not be aware of their surroundings. Seizures usually last up to 5 minutes. There are many ways to treat epilepsy. The most common way of treatment is through medication. These medications are anticonvulsant drugs. There are many factors that need

Epilepsy is the least acknowledge subject that science has yet to discover. What is epilepsy? Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed that is followed by the loss of conclusions, jerking, convulsions, and more. Even though people have epilepsy it does not have to be a seizure. The word epilepsy comes from the greek term for seizure. Seizures can appear without a known cause but epilepsy is caused by known causes. The disorder of Epilepsy has existed for years but recently has it begun to be understood. Through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, it was believed that epilepsy was related to religious matters and considered contagious. Without the help of modern science, epilepsy was still

Epilepsy has been recognized throughout history. It can be traced back to references made in literature written hundreds and hundreds of years ago. The earliest known descriptions of epilepsy are in the writings of Hippocrates (ca. 460-ca. 377 BC), most notably in his essay titled “On the Sacred Disease,” so named because in ancient Greece, the inexplicable cause of seizures had led to the common belief that the person with epilepsy was periodically possessed by spirits (in more recent times, demons). Hippocrates denounced such interpretations as charlatanism and argued that this was a human disease with physical causes. Today, epilepsy and seizures are classified into many different forms, some suggests as to the origins and the causes of the disease have been provided, and a wide range of diagnosis and treatment options are

Psychology, the study dealing with mental phenomena and processes. Psychologists studies and learns about emotions, intelligence, consciousness, mainly the human mind. The human brain is made up of two hemispheres, each, having to play its own tremendous role in the human body. Researchers founded that for most people, the left hemisphere of your brain mostly controls the ability to speak, and that the right hemisphere is involved in spatial relationships, such as reasoning. Many people questioned themselves about the brain and how it functions; they believed that the brain may be a separate mental system that has its own roles; this led to psychologists Roger W. Sperry, and Michael Gazzaniga, to examine and investigate this matter in question.

CBT for schizophrenia also stresses skill-oriented treatments. Patients learn skills to cope with life's challenges. The therapist teaches social, daily functioning, and problem-solving skills. This can help patients with schizophrenia minimalize the types of stress that can lead to outbursts and