PSEUDOSEIZURE STATUS

Psychogenic pain, disturbances of gait and stance, sensory symptoms, d izziness, and psychogenic seizures have been found to be the most comm on conversion symptoms in neurology clinics. A retrospective analysis of 18 patients suffering from pseudoseizure ''status'' is presented in this study. All of the patients fulfilled the DSM-III-R criteria of c onversion disorder, However, 5 of them had concomitant major depressio n, 6 suffered from bulimia nervosa, and 7 met the criteria for substan ce abuse. On Axis II, 10 cases of borderline personality disorder, 2 c ases of antisocial personality disorder, and 3 cases of histrionic per sonality disorder were diagnosed. The majority of the patients had att empted suicide and other forms of self-destructive behavior. The findi ngs suggest that patients with pseudoseizure ''status'' suffer from se vere affective imbalances and disturbed impulse control. (C) 1997 Else vier Science Inc.