Pseudo Seizures

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · May 5, 2016

What exactly happens when they have them?

MrNurse(x2), ADN · May 5, 2016

My uncompassionate, unPC response is they are attention seeking and instead of just Bob Newhearting it, we give it a diagnosis so they can continue their behavior and own it so psychiatry can justify its existence. No pseudoseizures, just one multi diagnosed narcissist who demands lots of class time that gives me my worldview on this.

Flare, ASN, BSN · May 5, 2016

in the same vein as Mr. Nurse with my cynical unPC world view (end of the school year is upon us, so my rose coloured glasses are pretty dirty right now)

i'll bet giving a student with pseudo seizures just one dose of diastat would cure them forever...

SnowyJ, RN · May 5, 2016

Had a student recently who is dx. ODD, Bipolar (possible Schizophrenia, but they will not make that dx yet.) A few weeks ago he scared the heck out of the staff when he started flopping around on the floor with tonic/clonic activity.

It was just upping the ante to get out of class. Behavior had been escalating.

After the incident mom says he does it at home on occasion when he is really upset.

Good to know....

MrNurse(x2), ADN · May 5, 2016

I wanted to add this link, that basically says a lot of medically oriented words that say they are faking. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1184694-overview

SnowyJ, RN · May 5, 2016

Reminds me of this....

[video=youtube;stdi-1tIUhM]

GdBSN, RN · May 5, 2016

I had a student that did this at the beginning of the school year. Dr. could find no reason for it. Through a little research, I found what is called a Psychogenic Seizure that could be brought on by anxiety. The doctor never diagnosed this, but we treat any episode as we would a seizure.

Oma to 11 · May 5, 2016

I had a student with these a couple of years ago. She had them on a regular basis. Initially I called 911 and her parents

but they refused to have her transported because she was not an epileptic. Her doctor believed they were caused by dehydration.

I made sure she came throughout the day to hydrate and if she did have an "episode" I just made sure she was safe and did not injure herself. Scary times! I was very happy when she graduated.

SnowyJ, RN · May 5, 2016

we treat any episode as we would a seizure.

You call 911?

Because if I suspected an actual seizure, I would call.

In the case of my student, I made sure he was safe, put a pillow under his head, observed, assessed, but did not call EMS. I did call the parent.

I guess having worked in a hospital where we saw a number of pseudo seizures, and they were treated differently..I don't intervene the same way as a would a suspected seizure.

GdBSN, RN · May 5, 2016

We used the template from the Epilepsy Foundation Action Plan. http://www.epilepsy.com/sites/core/files/atoms/files/seizure-action-plan-pdf_0.pdf. If a seizure lasts less than 5 minutes, and doesn't have any of the others factors listed in the emergency box, and the student returns to baseline, we do not call 911. Before we put this plan in place, I had to call 911 twice. Even the EMTs were baffled, they were looking at each other like they were dumb...oops cross thread.

OldDude · May 5, 2016

I've heard that term before and I agree with Mr. There isn't such a thing as a false seizure. Regardless of the cause, a seizure is a seizure or it's not. Oh, my child has pseudo headaches; the doctor doesn't know why. Yes, he has a history of pseudo stomach aches; we've run all kinds of tests and we can't find the origin. Oh, we're dealing with a pseudo fracture; we've had an xray, MRI, and CT and nothing shows a fracture so we can't figure out why we think it's broken. Right...