About Video

This young boy is having epileptic fits and he wakes up with a startle, convulsions and post-ictal confusion. He also suffers from post-ictal weeping. What is the diagnosis? These are features of non-epileptic attack disorders, previously known as psychogenic epilepsy. It is also known as dissociative seizure. They have organic background as well, like hypoglycemia, but mostly it is a reaction to a painful and stressful experience like, financial loss, reverses in marriage, loss of job, death of a beloved one, physical or sexual abuses, or history of being ragged or penalized or insulted. Contrary to the common belief, it may occur in male subjects as well. Post-ictal weeping in this condition was first reported by Jean Martin Charcot from Salpétrière, Paris.