The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper print
operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The Standard Group is recognized as a
leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in matters of national and international interest.
It started with a migraine that wouldn’t go away. A day stretched into a week then to months, and still I was experiencing head pain, nausea, blurred vision and other symptoms. One day, my entire left side went weak, my arm and leg useless and my speech slurred for a bit before returning to normal. A stroke? No, hemiplegic migraine. Soon I was having weakness and speech slurring several times a day.
At five months, I started shaking – first my leg, then my arm, then my whole body arching back in a seizure. A trip to the emergency room resulted in five days in a seizure monitoring unit for a four-day video EEG to determine the cause of the seizures. My official diagnosis was psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, a form of dissociative disorder that stems from trauma and stress.
As soon as I received the diagnosis, my seizures lessened. With my therapist, I began to explore the reasons for the seizures – a combination of trauma from sexual assault and the ongoing stress of living with chronic illnesses. I began intensive mind-body connection work, and am learning to recognize the signs of an oncoming seizure and the triggers that make them happen. My hemiplegic migraine symptoms also lessened, the weakness coming several times a week instead of several times a day. The same psychogenic process that was causing the seizures was also exaggerating my migraine symptoms, making accurate diagnosis and treatment difficult.
Many people diagnosed with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures may experience shame about their condition, and Zipporah Kituli is no different as she explained to me her case when I paid her a visit in Narok. After months of medical intervention and disability, including several emergency room visits and two hospital stays, finding out that some of my physical symptoms were triggered by a psychiatric condition made me feel guilty for “conning” the people who cared about me and came to my aid. The seizures, in my mind, weren’t “real” because they weren’t caused by the electrical misfiring of epilepsy.
The truth is that my seizures are very real. They often occur at moments of high stress, whether from an emotional trigger, a tense situation or a physical state. A very bad hemiplegic migraine will often spark a seizure. So will an intense therapy session. So will a trip to a crowded grocery store or a long day of social engagements. So will a very long day with my friends when they’re tired, bored and cranky. When life is too much – too emotional, too physically painful, too crowded, too filled with screaming children – my emotional circuit breaker shorts out and I have anything from one-sided weakness to limb shaking to a full-body seizure.
Psychogenic seizures are not due to epilepsy. Psychogenic seizures can occur at any age, but are more common in people under the age of 55. They occur three times more frequently in women than men. They may arise from various psychological factors, may be prompted by stress, and may occur in response to suggestion.
Some individuals with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures may have previously experienced trauma, such as sexual abuse.
Psychogenic seizures can be characterized by features common with epilepsy seizures. It may be difficult to differentiate between psychogenic non-epileptic seizures and epilepsy seizures. The gold-standard for diagnosis is to record the seizures during an admission to an epilepsy monitoring unit. A neurologist can analyze the video and EEG recordings to determine if the seizures are due to epilepsy or PNES.
An accurate diagnosis is important in order to receive the appropriate treatment.
Psychogenic seizures are not caused by electrical discharges in the brain and thus the EEG abnormalities seen during an epilepsy seizure are absent, however PNES can be mistaken for epilepsy. It is also possible to have both psychogenic seizures and epilepsy.
Antiseizure medications are ineffective in the treatment of psychogenic disorders. Patients who are diagnosed with psychogenic seizures are usually referred to a psychiatrist or therapist, to learn to manage stress and become familiar with coping techniques. Behavioral modification therapy can be an effective treatment for PNES.
I suffered Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES) due to sexual assault trauma and stress of living with chronic illnesses
join