The role of clinical and psychological research in epilepsy

Abstract

This paper addresses the issue of interaction between psychological and clinical factors, their role and importance in integrated clinico-psychological study aimed at improving the life quality among patients with epilepsy. The paper’s objective is to look into the clinical and psychological components in the approach to epilepsy. The study surveyed 317 patients aged between 18 to 65 years old, with focal epilepsy. Verification of patients’ diagnosis was based on the findings of clinico-neurological, psychopathological, pathopsychological, electroencephalographic examinations and brain computer-assisted tomography (CAT). The authors also employed the psychodiagnostic technique "Personal profile of the crisis." The comprehensive clinico-psychological survey of patients with epilepsy allowed the authors to substantiate the selection of 3 groups of mental changes. Clinico-psychopathologically, in group I (38% of patients), cerebrasthenic disorders combined with psychopathic and cognitive impairments are dominant. Clinico-psychopathologically, in group II (35% of patients) the mental changes are dominated by cerebrasthenic disorders, a slight decrease in mnestic-intellectual functions, changes in behavior and activities. Clinico-psychopathologically, in group III the mental changes (27% of patients) corresponded mainly to secondary impairments of the neurotic level. The studied parameters reflected the adaptedness of the patient's personality, which manifests itself as reconstruction of personality’s functional structures and systems affected by the disease.