Personality disorders among medically refractory epileptic patients

DSM-III-R personality disorders were assessed in 52 medically refractory ep ileptic patients. Twenty-one percent of patients met threshold criteria for an Axis II disorder. Dependent and avoidant personality disorders were the most common diagnosis. Epileptic aura was positively correlated with the p resence of personality disorders. These results support previous studies th at have demonstrated an increased rate of dependency and social isolation i n epileptic patients. This increase may be related to disrupted psychosocia l functioning as a consequence of having epilepsy, to disrupted neuronal fu nction in central nervous system structures as a consequence of repeated ep ileptiform discharge or to some combination of the two.