Interesting article I'll bet 100%of people on this site can identify with brain fog , confusion ,poor cognition , organisation, memory,poor motivation It's a pity ,they hadn't mentioned in the article that people with epilepsy experience these difficulties all of the time.💕

Thanks, I appreciate it. Well now after having many seizures in the EMU we know for sure I have focal temporal lobe seizures that usually are on the left but about 20% of the time are bilateral and usually start in the anterior temporal lobes. Most of the seizures are aware but some are impaired awareness and it turns out over half of them are subclinical meaning they show up on EEG but I don't appear any different, don't know they're happening, and/or forget them. This cluster was only maybe a dozen and the last cluster was in the EMU 10 weeks ago with maybe 23.

I usually feel OK and good that they're over for a couple of days afterwards and then my moods become unstable for a week or so where I unfortunately may visit that "very dark place" you mention, and it's really dark and nightmarish, but sometimes my moods are all over the place even elated and imagine a 67 year old man having problems getting weepy at all the time.

I'm hoping I'll be a candidate for possible surgical options like Neuropace but it's wait and see for that. I'm sorry you have to deal with this crazy disease and I know that darkness all too well if you need someone to talk to.

Wow, I'm so glad you finally have an answer about what type of seizures you are having. I imagine that will help in figuring out what to do next, although I'm sorry about what you know is head of you in the next week or so. Just remember when you are in it, the dark place will lift and it won't be forever.

I've heard that most people who have bilateral are lefties. Are you?

What is Neuropace?

Yeah, that dark place is terrible. Mine lasts for months. I'm more afraid of the after effects than the seizures themselves. Doing everything I can to avoid them.

Take care my dear.

Hi Jon - I didn't mean to upset you. The psychogenic seizure disorder diagnosis was ridiculous given your history and who you are.

I have depression and anxiety, and I had them before my seizures started. These are considered mental illnesses (of course with some biological/medical brain component, as with all mental illnesses). I think the problem is the stigma of mental illness. Many people think that means you are crazy. It doesn't, but even if you were, we have to think about why we look down upon those people. I'm not saying that we are crazy, but there is a stigma to mental illness, not unlike the stigma of epilepsy.

@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member I totally agree with you that epilepsy is a medical condition, rather than a mental health condition. But as we've seen here, the seizures/med side effects, the not being about to drive, etc. does have an impact on people's mental health as well.