Prolonged Exposure Therapy Reduces Seizures and PTSD Symptoms

Source: Epilepsy & behavior : E&B

Summary

Researchers studied two different treatments for people who have psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study took place at the Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group and involved 44 participants who were diagnosed with both conditions. Out of these, 35 people were randomly assigned to receive either Prolonged Exposure therapy or Psychoeducation, with 30 completing the treatment and follow-up assessments at 3 and 12 months.

The key findings showed that those who received Prolonged Exposure therapy had a significant reduction in seizure frequency, with a 76% decrease after 12 months. In contrast, the Psychoeducation group did not see a significant change in seizure frequency. However, both groups reported improvements in PTSD symptoms after a year, and the Psychoeducation group showed better results in reducing depression symptoms compared to the Prolonged Exposure group.

These findings are important because they suggest that Prolonged Exposure therapy may be more effective for reducing seizures and PTSD symptoms, while Psychoeducation may be better for addressing depression. However, this study was small, and more research is needed to confirm these results and understand how these treatments work for larger groups of people.

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