Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures and psychoanalytical treatment: results

Background: the occurrence of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) is estimated to be between 2 to 33 cases in every 100,000 inhabitants. The number of patients with PNES reaches 19% of those treated as epileptics. Patients with PNES are treated as if they had intractable epilepsy, with unsatisfactory results even after medication treatment is used to its maximum. The aim of this study is to present the effects of individual psychoanalytical treatment in patients with PNES, assessing its impact in the evolution of the clinical picture and its association with sex, time of disease, social, psychological and professional harm, as well as going through with treatment. Methods: The case base was composed of 37 patients with PNES. The diagnosis was reached with video-EEG monitoring. Psychoanalytical treatment was carried out through 12 months of weekly sessions timed for around 50-minutes each, in a total of 48 individual sessions. Results: This study found a high rate of success in the treatment of PNES patients. 29.7% (n=11) of patients had cessation or cure of symptoms and 51.4% (n=19) had a decrease in the number of episodes. There is an association between cessation or decrease in the number of episodes and sex (p<0.01), religion (p<0.01) and concluding treatment (p<0.01). Conclusion: Individual psychoanalytical treatment applied to patients with PNES is considered effective and can be an essential form of assistance for the reduction or cessation of episodes.