Self-Induced Seizures: Clinical and Electroencephalographic Studies

PATIENTS who induce seizures are undoubtedly rare but may not be as rare as suggested by the world literature. Andermann and his associates¹ cited 31 cases previously reported and added 20 more culled from the records of eight large institutions in Europe and the United States. Gastaut² estimated that one patient in 1,000 induced absences; Wadlington and his associates,³ in a review of 20,000 electroencephalograms, mentioned two patients who induced seizures. Contrary to these experiences, we have in a little over a year encountered nine patients who induced minor attacks by blinking or waving their fingers before their eyes, two others who hyperventilated until they convulsed, and a patient who had a seizure on request, with no indication of how he did it. Several patients had been given toxic doses of medication in a vain effort to control the seizures because the underlying problem was not