Any link between epilepsy and schizophrenia?

[Future Neuro]

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I was wondering if there was any discernable link between epilepsy and pyschiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. My brother has recently had a bout of extreme paranoia which seems indicative of schizophrenia, although the pyschiatrist did not officially diagnose him with that. My brother was put on the medication Risperdal, which is most often used for schizophrenia, and he seems to be back to normal now. He has had epilepsy since he was 13 - he has generalized epilepsy featuring tonic-clonic seizures. I have a theory that my brother's paranoia indicative of schizophrenia may be related to his epilepsy condition. Does anybody know if epilepsy can cause schizophrenia? Thanks for your info.

 

[Anasazi23]

This is a topic I'm quite interested in from a historical perspective. The relation between seizure activity and manifestations of psychosis and indeed the "epileptoid personality" date back 100 years. Seizure disorder was once under the auspices of psychiatry who "owned" the disorder and included it in the DSM prior to modern standards. Unfortunately, rifts in medical care have again separated the two conditions (seizure disorders and psychiatric illness). The relation is complex, and one does not necessarily "cause" the other. The relationship is 'soft' in some ways, and must be appreciated not necessarily from a data point of view, but one of phenomological interest that is quite difficult to quantify (at least from a personality disorder/seizure disorder) point of view.

Treatment options for the treating psychiatrist are interesting in these cases, as they often require a subtle touch so as not to exasperate one condition or the other.

All of that said, we cannot provide specific medical advice to you regarding your brother's condition. Since you asked a general question at the end of your post, I'll allow the thread to continue if the discussion remains focused on the link between the concepts per se, and not as medical or psychiatric advice related to a specific personal case.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Temporal lobes are of clear interest to both entities....

 

[Future Neuro]

This is a topic I'm quite interested in from a historical perspective. The relation between seizure activity and manifestations of psychosis and indeed the "epileptoid personality" date back 100 years. Seizure disorder was once under the auspices of psychiatry who "owned" the disorder and included it in the DSM prior to modern standards. Unfortunately, rifts in medical care have again separated the two conditions (seizure disorders and psychiatric illness). The relation is complex, and one does not necessarily "cause" the other. The relationship is 'soft' in some ways, and must be appreciated not necessarily from a data point of view, but one of phenomological interest that is quite difficult to quantify (at least from a personality disorder/seizure disorder) point of view.

Treatment options for the treating psychiatrist are interesting in these cases, as they often require a subtle touch so as not to exasperate one condition or the other.

All of that said, we cannot provide specific medical advice to you regarding your brother's condition. Since you asked a general question at the end of your post, I'll allow the thread to continue if the discussion remains focused on the link between the concepts per se, and not as medical or psychiatric advice related to a specific personal case.

For the record, I did not ask specific medical advice regarding my brother's condition. I asked if there was any evidence of a link between schizophenia and epilepsy.

 

[Anasazi23]

I know, and as mentioned, that's why I left the thread open. We just have to be careful when questions are based, as was the original post, about a personal or family-member case study or anecdote. No biggie.

I'm glad you brought up the topic. When I get more time, I'll post some interesting references about the relation between seizure disorders and personality issues. There's quite a bit of classical literature about this subject.

 

[Miklos]

Temporal lobes are of clear interest to both entities....

Saw a patient once with a slightly atypical presentation of paranoid schizophrenia (or so everyone initially thought). Team was able to get a better history during the in-patient stay. But, the MRI was key, as it revealed hippocampal scarring.