This video describes the causes of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and why it happens and the recent advancements …
26 Comments
If you would like to make a consult with Dr Omar Danoun, age 16 years and older, please call or email the International Patient Services at Henry Ford Hospital and get your appointment if you are outside the USA: Office Hours: Eastern time 8:00 am –5:30 pm Mon-Friday, excluding holidays
I have first seizure in April 2023 then 2nd seizure in September 2023 after that i have almost 5 seizers till April 2024… I am stressed after the death of my father in 2023 then seizures start ant these are PNES what should i do for stopping these seizure which are coming after every 2 month later… Give me some advice about
Thank you so much for producing this video. I appreciate you sharing the science about PNES and I will be sharing this video with my patients who suffer from this condition.
When doctors don't understand something, they call it psychological. Functional and conversion disorders will be debunked in the future when they figure it out just like other disorders they used to consider psychological.
I had PNES and got sent to a neurologist, I got diagnosed with Functional neurological symptoms (FNS). I don't just have a neurological symptoms while in psychological stress, I have neological symptoms in response to pain.
First 😢i was sad 😅than you made me happy 😃 at the end sr my momma 🙋🏽♀️stayed beating me in my head as a child until I got the courage wen I was 18 and ran away then when I was 21 I had another brain damage injury someone my sister was cool with hit me in the head with a pole 4 years later I had to get a brain tumor surgery cuz it was a tumor in my brain wen they brought me back to life i realized I was blessed but they dignose with epilepsy Sezuire and schizophrenic& bipolar I did my research 🔬 they all fall in the same category and i have PTSD I thank Allah for making me smarter and ppl thought i would be dumber after my surgery I lost some of my vision tho after I got put on disability I brought a house 🏠 and cut everybody off even my ex gf and mother my godmother and godfather and grandma 👵🏾the only genuine ones in my corner I stamp ✅dat mane
A very well thought out and presented video that's compassionate towards misunderstood patients who have to deal with a lot of frustration concerning doctors and treatment given. Thank you!
My first seizure happened two years ago when I was 54 yrs old. I just had one about a month ago at 56 yrs old. Three different neurologist treating and nobody can tell me what is wrong with me. Where can I go to get answers?
I must be right in saying PNES is the result of being too kind to hurtful people and the answer is to walk away from them instead of dealing with that trauma.
I've had these for about ten years now. I can only guess it comes from a lifetime of my needs not being a thing, as far as anyone else is concerned.
I've been rough homeless for about 5 years, and though I've been in a nice place for around 6 months, I got news today I might be looking at going back outside soon.
The doctors just don't care. I once seized, fell, and knocked my head on a metal frame. But, that doesn't count. I'm also a "throw away person", so, they're likely incentivized to look the other way, even if it's just less work for them. They also ignore frequent episodes of what appears to be stress cardiomyopathy, or false heart attacks. I get weaker all the time.
I wish I would just die. It's not fair to anyone to be around me, and it'd be better that way.
Its so reassuring that im not alone with this condition, i want to thank the comment section and the community for that personal reassurance. I feel connected after all these years of feeling alone.. thank you all. I wish all the best, we will overcome and beat this
I believe this happened to me today at work. I've never felt more helpless, and all but one of my coworkers (who was leaving for the day) got angry with me. Thank you for helping me feel seen. I actually felt myself trying to become calmer as I listened. ♡
As someone with PNES, with up to 10 seizures per day and not being able to walk or stand without falling over (needing a walking stick in my 20's), on long term sick leave and severely struggling.
Please look into trauma informed hip focus yoga, it's changed my life. Within the first 10 minutes of doing this I was shaking with emotion, I could feel so much crap leave my body, crap that I never knew was there. I thought my whole life that yoga wasn't for me but please, please try it out. This is different.
When I have seizures I honestly don't remember what happened and I be sleep most of the times.as a youth I was hit in my head with a baseball bat also stabbed near my left temple I was a teenager at the time but I never had no type of seizures at the time
I have been watchihg all of your videos on PNES. I was recently diagnosed with PNES via video monitoring EEG. I have a history of Complex- PTSD. I also suffer from Severe Chronic persistent pain due to a MVA 2 years ago that has left me with multi – level spinal issues and now Bilateral Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction/ Sacroiliitis and Anterior-listhesis with BL pars defect at L5-S1. And I am suffering in tremendous pain every day ever since. When I was recently admitted to the hospital for 8 days for Observed Seizure like activity, before I was told it was PNES. I dealt with so many different Attendings, Nurses, PCT, etc. That accused me of Malingering/ feigning my symptoms in my spine and seizure like activity. So I had my roommate bring in documentation from all my Neurosurgeon's to prove that I was not exaggerating or listing of medical terminology I did not know anything about. That this is real. This is my life and I'm about to undergo another spinal surgery. But because this hospital had no record of it. They assumed I was making everything up. And pre- judged me because I have a diagnosis of Complex PTSD and sexual assault/ D.V. When I was not consciously panicking nor had zero control over what was happening to my body during these seizure like episodes that caused confusion , vommting/ nausea after, not intentional at all. But the tending up and marching my back and my eyes fluttered and rolled back on Video EEG and I was Tachycardic with low BP and stopped breathing for one of them. My brain felt like soup after each one. Just mush. And my body was in so much pain everywhere from muscle tensing- arching back, jaw locked down tight hurting my temple, I did bite thru my tongue and lower lip for a couple. And I was aspirating on my own vomit after they were done. And I found out from one really great doctor and the neurologist on my care team that PNES is very real. And mine were being caused by biologically: Severe Chronic pain and Psychologically: A manifestation of psychological distress that my pain was triggering. And yes, the did painful Stimuli on my Sternum which I could feel but could not respond or move yet. And my muscle tensing- and convulsing, were aggravating my already painful underlying spinal / pelvic issues. And hearing nurses talk negative about me right outside my Hospital bedroom bc I was across from the nurses desk. Just made me feel terrible. And then reading my medical notes from every provider I saw , in my patient portal afterwards. Was overwhelming to say the least and accused of things I have no memory of doing or saying. But the good news is that I did have a very empathetic Neurologist and Very nice General Medicine,MD attending that actually knew about PNES. And said Severe chronic pain, injury, illness, disability are also triggers for PNES. Large amounts of pain signals being sent to the brain at once can cause a manifestation of biological distress to the brain and make it just sorta go haywire. And then on top of that, my pain would trigger PTSD symptoms that caused a manifestation of psychological distress. I had so many now that I am in a rolling walker with in home health care and physical therapy and occupational therapy because I had a cluster of psychogenic seizures that physically hurt my body even more so. And I now I am under strict order to keep stress levels down and work with my Trauma therapist and also Pain MGMT. Also my physical pain, can trigger psychological distress and my psychological distress can trigger worsening pain. I have two co- occuring conditioners working against each other that are causing these Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures. And my seizure like activity caused things to go wrong physically in my body from having too many. And also probably from like you said. From other doctors inflicting pain on me, making things worse when I could not respond stuck in this scary paralyzed state. I was given way too much Versed to stop seizures. Which only made things worse bc when it wore off. I got a rush of pain back. And other misc symptoms like vomiting so much while stuck in this paralyzed state after the seizure like activity stopped or not able to think clearly or respond right away bc your brain feels like mush afterwards and confused and everything hurts. So don't ever let anyone tell you they are not real. They are a very real thing. That need more research and education done on them and should be taught and taken seriously just as much as Epilepsy. If it wasn't for the 2 good attendings that I had. I would prob be in much worse shape. And not receiving the proper care I need to heal my mind and body. But there are many things that can trigger PNES. And thank you Doctor for acknowledging that this is a very real thing. And should be handled with empathy and understanding. And getting down to the core problem that is causing them , so you can prevent them. And not accuse a patient of fakig it. I now have those medical notes on my record forever from the ignorant attendings and nurses I saw that did not know anything about PNES and were very rude, neglectful while I was conscious and stable and needed something bc I was not a serious patient in their eyes. Or inflicted even more pain on my body , when my roommate brought in all my Medical records to put an end to that where it clearly states I have Chronic pain syndrome and multiple problems that I am about to undergo surgery for. Smh. Most of them refused to read my printed out medical records. And just continuef to proceed with what they thought was best. Which prob contributed to more seizures happening. And it was not until Neurology and a Great General Medicine, MD attending took the time to read them and look further into my medical history. I just wish I could of had them for the entire duration of my hospital stay. And I wish I could remove these awful notes that are forever on my record. That contradict what Neurology and General Medicine, MD attending said. And now I feel like I have to point out the right notes to read. Which may come off as me manipulating medical providers in the future. Which just causes more stress. Idk. It's terrible the way some doctors act. And I am grateful to hear your words " They can feel the pain, but cannot respond". And everything else you said. This is a big issue all over. I am from Upstate NY. I hope you spread your knowledge through our nation. And educate doctors and nurses. And yes Eliminate the word psuedoseizures unless a patient is acting out a seizure which I feel like would be pretty obvious. BECAUSE There is NO faking a psychogenic non-epileptic seizure. My seizures were mimicking Epilepsy so much that they wanted to rule out if I had PNES and Epilepsy combined. Which is another possibility in patients with PNES. But all it took was a negative EEG for some hospital staff to start treating me like crap. And 2 that actually knew what they were doing. Thank you for sharing. PNES is very much still in its infancy as far as education goes. But these videos have made me feel so much better about my new diagnosis. I just want to share your videos with every hospital in Upstate NY. Lol. Thank God for doctors like you. 🙏 you and the other Dr in your videos are both greatly appreciated. I will share these with others who suffer from PNES!
Im not sure how mine came to be, yes i suffered SEVERE trauma, yes i have health issues like crohn's disease but for some reason when i moved to a hotter state 2 years in (2021) i had my first big seizure. Mri came back normal, but my eegs showed epileptic results. My seizures are "calmer" now but why now? Its like everytime i get past a traumatic/depressing or insanity inducing event SOMETHING ALWAYS takes its place. Lmfao whats next i developed split personality? Cause epilepsy was foreshadowed ever since i was 8 im 26/27 now
If you would like to make a consult with Dr Omar Danoun, age 16 years and older, please call or email the International Patient Services at Henry Ford Hospital and get your appointment if you are outside the USA: Office Hours: Eastern time 8:00 am –5:30 pm Mon-Friday, excluding holidays
Phone: +1-313-916-8443
Email: InternationalPatientServices@hfhs.org
In USA call the clinic
https://www.henryford.com/physician-directory/d/danoun-omar
So when i was kid and got hit to a head at least 20times with blood injuries and stitches, i could got seizures from there? Thank you.
I have cavernous malformation on my brain and spine and , now they saying I PNES and ptsd . I never had seizures now I am having them .
I have first seizure in April 2023 then 2nd seizure in September 2023 after that i have almost 5 seizers till April 2024… I am stressed after the death of my father in 2023 then seizures start ant these are PNES what should i do for stopping these seizure which are coming after every 2 month later… Give me some advice about
Thank you so much for producing this video. I appreciate you sharing the science about PNES and I will be sharing this video with my patients who suffer from this condition.
When doctors don't understand something, they call it psychological. Functional and conversion disorders will be debunked in the future when they figure it out just like other disorders they used to consider psychological.
I had PNES and got sent to a neurologist, I got diagnosed with Functional neurological symptoms (FNS). I don't just have a neurological symptoms while in psychological stress, I have neological symptoms in response to pain.
First 😢i was sad 😅than you made me happy 😃 at the end sr my momma 🙋🏽♀️stayed beating me in my head as a child until I got the courage wen I was 18 and ran away then when I was 21 I had another brain damage injury someone my sister was cool with hit me in the head with a pole 4 years later I had to get a brain tumor surgery cuz it was a tumor in my brain wen they brought me back to life i realized I was blessed but they dignose with epilepsy Sezuire and schizophrenic& bipolar I did my research 🔬 they all fall in the same category and i have PTSD I thank Allah for making me smarter and ppl thought i would be dumber after my surgery I lost some of my vision tho after I got put on disability I brought a house 🏠 and cut everybody off even my ex gf and mother my godmother and godfather and grandma 👵🏾the only genuine ones in my corner I stamp ✅dat mane
A very well thought out and presented video that's compassionate towards misunderstood patients who have to deal with a lot of frustration concerning doctors and treatment given. Thank you!
🤍🤍thank you for this and your part series. Its reassuring.
My first seizure happened two years ago when I was 54 yrs old. I just had one about a month ago at 56 yrs old. Three different neurologist treating and nobody can tell me what is wrong with me. Where can I go to get answers?
I must be right in saying PNES is the result of being too kind to hurtful people and the answer is to walk away from them instead of dealing with that trauma.
I've had these for about ten years now. I can only guess it comes from a lifetime of my needs not being a thing, as far as anyone else is concerned.
I've been rough homeless for about 5 years, and though I've been in a nice place for around 6 months, I got news today I might be looking at going back outside soon.
The doctors just don't care. I once seized, fell, and knocked my head on a metal frame. But, that doesn't count. I'm also a "throw away person", so, they're likely incentivized to look the other way, even if it's just less work for them. They also ignore frequent episodes of what appears to be stress cardiomyopathy, or false heart attacks. I get weaker all the time.
I wish I would just die. It's not fair to anyone to be around me, and it'd be better that way.
Dr. Omar, did you publish any paper with the comparison table from this video?
Its so reassuring that im not alone with this condition, i want to thank the comment section and the community for that personal reassurance. I feel connected after all these years of feeling alone.. thank you all. I wish all the best, we will overcome and beat this
this is so good to hear. everyone says i'm stressed and no one listens when i say im not 😢
I need halp with my wife she has pnes and has become more symptomatic lately and needs help i will be calling
I believe this happened to me today at work. I've never felt more helpless, and all but one of my coworkers (who was leaving for the day) got angry with me. Thank you for helping me feel seen. I actually felt myself trying to become calmer as I listened. ♡
As someone with PNES, with up to 10 seizures per day and not being able to walk or stand without falling over (needing a walking stick in my 20's), on long term sick leave and severely struggling.
Please look into trauma informed hip focus yoga, it's changed my life. Within the first 10 minutes of doing this I was shaking with emotion, I could feel so much crap leave my body, crap that I never knew was there. I thought my whole life that yoga wasn't for me but please, please try it out. This is different.
I recommend this lady, espeically this video, it has changed my life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE-X-MsmveI
If you don't believe me, read the comments. Thumbs up and comment if this has helped 🙂
When I have seizures I honestly don't remember what happened and I be sleep most of the times.as a youth I was hit in my head with a baseball bat also stabbed near my left temple I was a teenager at the time but I never had no type of seizures at the time
I was working on a garbage truck when I first had seizures can that play a role?
I don’t understand the title says not due to stress but you’re describing stress as the reason .
I think i just had my first one about an hour ago. I'm so thankful this was the first person i found. I feel much more comfortable. Thank you.
I have been watchihg all of your videos on PNES. I was recently diagnosed with PNES via video monitoring EEG. I have a history of Complex- PTSD. I also suffer from Severe Chronic persistent pain due to a MVA 2 years ago that has left me with multi – level spinal issues and now Bilateral Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction/ Sacroiliitis and Anterior-listhesis with BL pars defect at L5-S1. And I am suffering in tremendous pain every day ever since. When I was recently admitted to the hospital for 8 days for Observed Seizure like activity, before I was told it was PNES. I dealt with so many different Attendings, Nurses, PCT, etc. That accused me of Malingering/ feigning my symptoms in my spine and seizure like activity. So I had my roommate bring in documentation from all my Neurosurgeon's to prove that I was not exaggerating or listing of medical terminology I did not know anything about. That this is real. This is my life and I'm about to undergo another spinal surgery. But because this hospital had no record of it. They assumed I was making everything up. And pre- judged me because I have a diagnosis of Complex PTSD and sexual assault/ D.V. When I was not consciously panicking nor had zero control over what was happening to my body during these seizure like episodes that caused confusion , vommting/ nausea after, not intentional at all. But the tending up and marching my back and my eyes fluttered and rolled back on Video EEG and I was Tachycardic with low BP and stopped breathing for one of them. My brain felt like soup after each one. Just mush. And my body was in so much pain everywhere from muscle tensing- arching back, jaw locked down tight hurting my temple, I did bite thru my tongue and lower lip for a couple. And I was aspirating on my own vomit after they were done. And I found out from one really great doctor and the neurologist on my care team that PNES is very real. And mine were being caused by biologically: Severe Chronic pain and Psychologically: A manifestation of psychological distress that my pain was triggering. And yes, the did painful Stimuli on my Sternum which I could feel but could not respond or move yet. And my muscle tensing- and convulsing, were aggravating my already painful underlying spinal / pelvic issues. And hearing nurses talk negative about me right outside my Hospital bedroom bc I was across from the nurses desk. Just made me feel terrible. And then reading my medical notes from every provider I saw , in my patient portal afterwards. Was overwhelming to say the least and accused of things I have no memory of doing or saying. But the good news is that I did have a very empathetic Neurologist and Very nice General Medicine,MD attending that actually knew about PNES. And said Severe chronic pain, injury, illness, disability are also triggers for PNES. Large amounts of pain signals being sent to the brain at once can cause a manifestation of biological distress to the brain and make it just sorta go haywire. And then on top of that, my pain would trigger PTSD symptoms that caused a manifestation of psychological distress. I had so many now that I am in a rolling walker with in home health care and physical therapy and occupational therapy because I had a cluster of psychogenic seizures that physically hurt my body even more so. And I now I am under strict order to keep stress levels down and work with my Trauma therapist and also Pain MGMT. Also my physical pain, can trigger psychological distress and my psychological distress can trigger worsening pain. I have two co- occuring conditioners working against each other that are causing these Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures. And my seizure like activity caused things to go wrong physically in my body from having too many. And also probably from like you said. From other doctors inflicting pain on me, making things worse when I could not respond stuck in this scary paralyzed state. I was given way too much Versed to stop seizures. Which only made things worse bc when it wore off. I got a rush of pain back. And other misc symptoms like vomiting so much while stuck in this paralyzed state after the seizure like activity stopped or not able to think clearly or respond right away bc your brain feels like mush afterwards and confused and everything hurts. So don't ever let anyone tell you they are not real. They are a very real thing. That need more research and education done on them and should be taught and taken seriously just as much as Epilepsy. If it wasn't for the 2 good attendings that I had. I would prob be in much worse shape. And not receiving the proper care I need to heal my mind and body. But there are many things that can trigger PNES. And thank you Doctor for acknowledging that this is a very real thing. And should be handled with empathy and understanding. And getting down to the core problem that is causing them , so you can prevent them. And not accuse a patient of fakig it. I now have those medical notes on my record forever from the ignorant attendings and nurses I saw that did not know anything about PNES and were very rude, neglectful while I was conscious and stable and needed something bc I was not a serious patient in their eyes. Or inflicted even more pain on my body , when my roommate brought in all my Medical records to put an end to that where it clearly states I have Chronic pain syndrome and multiple problems that I am about to undergo surgery for. Smh. Most of them refused to read my printed out medical records. And just continuef to proceed with what they thought was best. Which prob contributed to more seizures happening. And it was not until Neurology and a Great General Medicine, MD attending took the time to read them and look further into my medical history. I just wish I could of had them for the entire duration of my hospital stay. And I wish I could remove these awful notes that are forever on my record. That contradict what Neurology and General Medicine, MD attending said. And now I feel like I have to point out the right notes to read. Which may come off as me manipulating medical providers in the future. Which just causes more stress. Idk. It's terrible the way some doctors act. And I am grateful to hear your words " They can feel the pain, but cannot respond". And everything else you said. This is a big issue all over. I am from Upstate NY. I hope you spread your knowledge through our nation. And educate doctors and nurses. And yes Eliminate the word psuedoseizures unless a patient is acting out a seizure which I feel like would be pretty obvious. BECAUSE There is NO faking a psychogenic non-epileptic seizure. My seizures were mimicking Epilepsy so much that they wanted to rule out if I had PNES and Epilepsy combined. Which is another possibility in patients with PNES. But all it took was a negative EEG for some hospital staff to start treating me like crap. And 2 that actually knew what they were doing.
Thank you for sharing. PNES is very much still in its infancy as far as education goes. But these videos have made me feel so much better about my new diagnosis. I just want to share your videos with every hospital in Upstate NY. Lol. Thank God for doctors like you. 🙏 you and the other Dr in your videos are both greatly appreciated. I will share these with others who suffer from PNES!
Can you have these only at night or they only occur during waking hours?
Im not sure how mine came to be, yes i suffered SEVERE trauma, yes i have health issues like crohn's disease but for some reason when i moved to a hotter state 2 years in (2021) i had my first big seizure. Mri came back normal, but my eegs showed epileptic results. My seizures are "calmer" now but why now? Its like everytime i get past a traumatic/depressing or insanity inducing event SOMETHING ALWAYS takes its place. Lmfao whats next i developed split personality? Cause epilepsy was foreshadowed ever since i was 8 im 26/27 now