Psychiatric Symptoms of Epileptic Nature: An Old Hypothesis in Light of Current Psychopharmacologic Advances
Read full paper at: http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=53672#.VM8uUyzQrzE Author(s) Javier Alvarez-Rodriguez Affiliation(s) Departamento de Psiquiatría, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León, León, Spain . ABSTRACT This paper analyses a hypothesis according to which many positive psychiatric symptoms should be interpreted as symptoms of epileptic nature. When we first raised this proposition, almost fifteen years ago, it was inconsistent with the widespread conviction among psychiatrists that psychopharmacological drugs used to suppress psychiatric symptoms were proconvulsant. But lately, there have appeared numerous neuroscientific investigations that defend the anticonvulsant effect of most psychopharmacological drugs, hence supporting our hypothesis. We have carried out bibliographical reviews in search of the pro- or anticonvulsant role of these substances, particularly lithium, selective ser...