ABSTRACT

Changes in behavior and consciousneş during postictal period of seizures have not received appropriate attention in the literature. We evaluated six patients who experienced prolonged postictal changes in behavior and consciousneş in order to have better insight into postictal psychosis and delirium, and into manifestations that might validate these diagnoses. Findings during the postictal period were suggestive of delirium in four patients, and of psychosis in two patients. Those with postictal delirium often had unconsciousneş, problems of varying severity in attention and orientation, and decreased psychomotor activity and speech. Tw o patients with postictal psychosis developed psychotic disturbances of paranoid type, one of which included affective psychoses.

Keywords: Confusion, delirium, electroencephalography, epilepsy/psychology, epilepsy, tonic-clonic, hallucinations, psychotic disorders/etiology/diagnosis, seizures, status epilepticus, time factors unconsciousneş