Psychogenic paraplegia is an uncommon conversion disorder characterized by nonorganic loss of motor function precipitated by some type of traumatic event. A 60-year-old man was referred from neurosurgery department with the chief complaint of paraplegia. One year ago he was involved in a motor vehicle accident. Whole spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electrophysiological study couldn’t...

Psychogenic non-epileptic spells are a form of conversion disorder which is characterized by “seizure like episodes” often misdiagnosed as epilepsy. These are frequently seen in adults with female predominance but occur also in children. The gold standard, for a definitive diagnosis, is inpatient video-EEG monitoring in a specialized epilepsy monitoring unit to capture these episodes. There is ...

Tore Sørlie Psychiatry Research Group Institute of Clinical Medicine Faculty of Health Sciences University of Tromsø and Clinic for General Psychiatry University Hospital of Northern Norway A man in his forties had been repeatedly assessed over a period of 15 years at neurological departments and specialised epilepsy hospitals. The conclusion was always psychogenic, non-epileptic seizures (PNES...

PURPOSE Whilst ictal injuries in psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) have been reported previously, very few studies have described the spectrum of ictal injuries in these patients. In the current study, we tried to determine the spectrum of reported ictal injuries associated with PNES and to investigate the possible associated risk factors. METHODS All patients with PNES were recruited...

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) represent a relatively frequent challenge for clinicians. While they resemble epileptic seizures, they are not the consequence of paroxysmal electrical discharges in the brain, but are related to psychological triggers in vulnerable subjects. Gold standard of PNES diagnosis remains the recording of a typical event under video-EEG. PNES recognition is no...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review focuses on recent studies assessing clinical features and laboratory findings that may help diagnose psychogenic movement disorders, and the ongoing controversy about the relationship of these disorders with preceding peripheral injury. RECENT FINDINGS 'Organic' movement disorders may still be misdiagnosed as psychogenic. Probably more commonly, however, psychoge...