Which Condition Needs Attention? Epilepsy or Behavioural Disorders ~ a Discussion

Now here’s a difficult task. Writing about the potential mood shifts that may come with seizure disorders. Aren’t these totally separate issues? I heard a while ago, and cannot remember where or whom told it to me, that the focal point of bipolar disorder (previously known as manic depression) and epilepsy are in the same place in the brain. Depression is also apparently a not uncommon trait for those of us with epilepsy.

The difficult part of this task? Not having a completely reputable research base for this piece of information which has now taken the form of rumour. So I’ll talk about myself. I have experienced mood swings and waves of what could be depression. Neither have debilitated me, although I can get a bit cranky from time to time, with some pretty dramatic pity parties.

So I went to my friend, Google, for my research assistant.

At Medscape (emedicine.medscape.com under neurology), I found a huge list of  neurological mechanisms that suggest a relationship between epilepsy and behavioural disorders. (Not quite my idea of neurobehavioural disorders, but my other research assistant, Wikipedia, provided more definition. Included were disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, Depression and so many more.) PubMed at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gob has an abstract entitled “Bipolar disorder and epilepsy: a bidirectonal relation? Neurobiological underpinnings, current hypotheses and future research directions.”

Here is my concern. Neurobehavioural or psychiatric disorders carry their own stigma. In general, society often has a ‘pull up your socks’ attitude for psychiatric disorders. Or with the dual stigma of epilepsy/psychiatric disorders, the attitude may often be sympathy accompanied by a shake of the head - hopelessness. Neither of these responses aid the individual with one or both of these disorders. Nor do they support the caregiver or put any support system in place. (Both conditions can be accompanied by complete denial of their existence until symptoms like the various forms of seizures or unpredictable and erratic moods occur.)

Seizure disorders, especially those dramatic tonic-clonic seizures, unquestionably assume and demand that medication is needed with little if any requirement for behavioural or coping skills; behavioural conditions may merely be tut-tutted or seen as an irritant. 

My personal opinion, is that effective behavioural and/or coping skills are required for any disorder and, as for any disorder, medication may be required.

My hope is that as health care progresses, our society will look at both sides of this process of recovery as much more stabilizing and empowering to all involved.