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Is there a link between child sex abuse and epilepsy?

A reader of the ACEsTooHigh.com news site sent in that question. Since she prefers to remain anonymous, I told her I'd toss it out to this network.Ā 

If you know anything about this -- whether there's a link or whether there is not -- just add a comment to this post, and I'll pass it on to her.Ā 

Thanks!

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There is definitely an association between childhood sexual abuse and what are called psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). Ā These are not true seizures because there is no abnormal electrical brain activity on EEG when the PNES is in progress. Ā However, PNES look just like true epilepsy since the outward effect on the person having the PNES is nearly identical to true epilepsy. Ā Definitive diagnosis of PNES may require simultaneous video and EEG recording for up to 5 days to ensure a PNES event occurs. Ā Only a few medical centers around the world offer this.

I'm not aware of any data that show PNES gets better when the effects of childhood sexual abuse are treated but I strongly suspect that would be the case.Ā 

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