TITLE:
Psychiatric Symptoms of Epileptic Nature: An Old Hypothesis in Light of Current Psychopharmacologic Advances
AUTHORS:
Javier Alvarez-Rodriguez
KEYWORDS:
Antipsychotic Drugs, Dual Antidepressants, Lithium, Mental Automatisms, SSRIs
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.5 No.1,
January
30,
2015
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 serotonin
reuptake inhibitors, dual antidepressants, and antipsychotic drugs.These
researches show abundant evidence regarding the anticonvulsant action of these
substances, a fact that contributes to a better comprehension of paradoxical
relationship between epilepsy and psychoses.