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CatsareAwesome
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08 Oct 2008, 1:55 am

Is there anyone on here with temporal lobe epilepsy?

I know people can get rage attacks with temporal lobe epilepsy, but can you get depression attacks, too? I ask this because I am not depressed, but I periodically get this period of a half hour to an hour when I suddenly become extremely depressed and suicidal. I can usually figure out what seemed to "trigger" it (which would seem to indicate it's not a seizure), but when the episode passes, it doesn't seem like a big deal (it's usually just a single comment someone said). It usually lasts around maybe 45 minutes, and is extremely awful. If I weren't so depressed during it (so that I just lie in bed), I would probably be a danger to myself. Then it passes all of a sudden, and I just feel really tired. In just a few minutes I go from suicidal to completely fine.

When I can tell one is starting, I try to distract myself to stave off the depression, but it doesn't work. It's really terrible- it feels like my body is shutting down or my soul is dying or something.

Could that be a temporal lobe seizure? I've done research online, and even "brief recurrent depression" is supposed to last a few days, not 45 minutes. Again, I'm not depressed in general, and these episodes are really terrible. I don't know if I should see a doctor or not. I don't want to just go to a psychiatrist, because I'm sure I'd get diagnosed with depression and prescribed medication (which I do not want), but I don't know if I have enough reason to see a neurologist.

Am I a hypochondriac, or should I see a doctor?

Sorry for the long post.



Tahitiii
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08 Oct 2008, 2:04 am

Um, um, um... yes. I think. One of the regulars around here. I'll send you a PM.

I think I might have something related. Weirdo symptoms.
And a funny MRI that the slug neurologist won't talk to me about.
It's been over two weeks.



Saffy
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08 Oct 2008, 2:15 am

My understanding of complex partial seizures ( my son has them ) is that they can trigger any type of emotional response, as well as physical ones. Some of the more common ones are fear ( screaming and feeling very frightened of nothing ) joy ( laughing at nothing ) sadness, embarrassment, loss of bowel and bladder control, deja vu, visual disturbances, balance disturbances, unusual thoughts, tastes, smells etc.... so I would say this was worth getting checked out.



kitty2
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08 Oct 2008, 2:59 am

At the moment I am being tested on temporal lobe epilepsy. The neurologist (a really very good one) thinks I have it after clinical examination. I told him I had several suicide attempts and one of them me ending up in hospital getting saved and another one I 'woke' up from and 'saved' myself. I have no memory of them, just gaps and black outs. I am not depressed and certainly don't want to die (it's not on my mind even)! I also have rage attacks sometimes, which are pretty scary and I can't just snap out of or push the off button. These are intense moments. And basically I have everything Saffy mentioned too. I don't have have the fear, embarrassment and joy though.
I agree with Saffy, get it check out indeed!

I had an EEG 2 weeks ago, but as i understand Temporal Lobe Epilepsy is not always noticed on an EEG. If it doesn't show anything on the EEG I will get another EEG where they are going to keep me awake for 24 hours. I will also get an MRI scan soon.

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy can be misdiagnosed with depression, so be clear about yourself and alert to your doctor.
Being misdiagnosed is very annoying to say the least.

I am quite interested in how your checking out goes, so can you keep us informed?



ToughDiamond
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08 Oct 2008, 5:02 am

An ex-girlfriend of mine had this. For a long time we didn't know what it was - it began as short episodes where she'd suddenly behave as if she were acting out a dream, talking to people who weren't there. Then she'd snap out of it and not remember anything about it. Eventually she began having epileptic fits after the somnambulism.

One problem was that she had a lot of faith in homeopathy and "spiritual" healing methods. None of it did any good. Eventually she tried conventional medicine - hormone replacement therapy - the episodes stopped for a while but they returned after a few months.

Unfortunately we split up not long after that (for other reasons), so I never found out what became of her. We'd been so close emotionally that we had to completely break contact with each other to keep from drifting back together again.



Kelsi
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08 Oct 2008, 7:55 am

I used to have temporal lobe epilepsy, but I never had depression or rage attacks with it. I used to hear voices, smell dead bodies, see amazing things, experience deja vu and jamais vu, and have incredibly mystical experiences though :D .



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08 Oct 2008, 9:15 am

From reading this I am starting to wonder if I have temporal lobe epilepsy (I have got some kind of seizure disorder as of yet undiagnosed). Although rage attacks are supposedly something that are controllable (yeah right) I have always believed that maybe they are to do with seizure activity in the brain. I say this because whenever I have a rage attack, I can only half figure what is going on around me. I have no control whatsoever and I get strange sensory feelings. I would get it checked out if I were you but beware because some doctors might brush it off... I should know about that!


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AnonymousAnonymous
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08 Oct 2008, 11:59 am

I have epilepsy and also have confusion attacks after I have a seizure.


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Synth
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08 Oct 2008, 12:09 pm

CatsareAwesome wrote:
When I can tell one is starting, I try to distract myself to stave off the depression, but it doesn't work. It's really terrible- it feels like my body is shutting down or my soul is dying or something.
I have experienced this "fear" or more accurately "feeling" before. The times I feel it is when my brain feels a certain strange way (like how you discribed, "shutting down", then I will get this horrible sinking feeling that I am going to die.
People here so far have told me I might have this as well, I still got a couple of days left till I can see a doctor who can give me connections to a neurologist who can figure it out for me. Maybe you should see one too.



9CatMom
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08 Oct 2008, 7:37 pm

I was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy in 1989. Luckily, with good medical treatment, I have had very few seizures. I have been seizure free for over five years and my EEGs have been normal for over ten.



stimpysuzie
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08 Oct 2008, 7:58 pm

I am kinda glad this subject is being discussed as I have been doing some research and it explains alot of what i thought was unexplainable!
I have fits of depression just like you describe, whereby all of a sudden, literally, I will go into this deep blue period lasting no longer than half an hour. I think about suicide and all that nasty stuff then as quick as it came it goes away again. It is off putting and very much a mystery, as I haven't acted upon it.
I have terrible bouts of deja vu and it irritates me, as I try and logically work out how it happened and when ( if that makes sense).
I am prone to stress and I usually act out in a rage or tempered anger, with red being the only colour I see.
Rocking on the sofa is a stress reliever when too much stimulation is experienced but if I am out then a veil drops over me and it feels like I am in an alternate universe with objects and people becoming blurry.
I never feel attached to myself for very long when shopping and I certainly don't feel very "there" when in different surroundings.
My life is like one big play.
That's exactly what it feels like. A beginning, a middle and an end.
Now I am anxious after writing this so must finish rambling for now.
I hope someone with more experience posts a response.

Later Later



Tahitiii
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08 Oct 2008, 8:02 pm

I finally got my hands on my MRI report (below). I looked up all the fancy words, for what it's worth. The neurologist wasn't too excited and gave me the option of making an appointment to talk about it. It looks like a dud. Should I spend the hefty co-pay? The guy is moderately annoying.

I think I’ve seen recent subtle changes in auditory processing and sense of smell. And a bunch of anxiety, but I have a situational excuse for that. I also see major changes in concentration and memory and other stuff, but that doesn’t seem related to anything in this test. Life-long history of migraine or mini-stroke-type stuff.

Oh, and I did NOT hit my head when I was a kid. I have no idea what that part is about.


(Prior CT scan demonstrated “a questionable 7mm hypodensity in the right frontal lobe.”)

MRI with and without contrast:

The ventricles and sulci are of normal caliber for the patient’s age without evidence for hyrdocephalus. There is mild periventricular white matter signal abnormality which is nonspecific buy typically relates to microvascular disease. The diffusion-weighted images reveal no evidence for acute infarct. There s a region of focal encephalomalacia within the right paramedian frontal lobe corresponding to the CT scan abnormality. This measures approximately 7mm. There is no associated surrounding gliosis or enhancing mass. The findings are likely the sequoia of previous trauma or infarct. Postcontrast images demonstrate no evidence for enhancing mass or abnormal enhancement pattern. The cerebellopontine angles and internal auditory canals are normal. The intractanial flow-voids are normal at the skull base.

The midline structures have a normal appearance.
The visualized portions of the orbits and paranasal sinuses are unremarkable.

IMPRESSION: Redemonstration of anormality in the right paramedian frontal lobe where a small region of cystic encephalomalacia is present. There is no associated surrounding gliosis or enhancing mass. The findings are likely of no clinical significance currently and may relate to remote trauma or infarct.

Mild microvascular disease without acute infarct.



Saffy
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08 Oct 2008, 9:04 pm

I think the important thing to consider is that this is an Aura pre seizure, these instances are normally followed by going into a seizure - opening and closing your mouth, twitching, jerking .. uncontrolled body movements which you may or may not be aware of. I am not sure if the seizure can just consist of the aura symptoms.



matsuiny2004
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08 Oct 2008, 11:11 pm

CatsareAwesome wrote:
Is there anyone on here with temporal lobe epilepsy?

I know people can get rage attacks with temporal lobe epilepsy, but can you get depression attacks, too? I ask this because I am not depressed, but I periodically get this period of a half hour to an hour when I suddenly become extremely depressed and suicidal. I can usually figure out what seemed to "trigger" it (which would seem to indicate it's not a seizure), but when the episode passes, it doesn't seem like a big deal (it's usually just a single comment someone said). It usually lasts around maybe 45 minutes, and is extremely awful. If I weren't so depressed during it (so that I just lie in bed), I would probably be a danger to myself. Then it passes all of a sudden, and I just feel really tired. In just a few minutes I go from suicidal to completely fine.

When I can tell one is starting, I try to distract myself to stave off the depression, but it doesn't work. It's really terrible- it feels like my body is shutting down or my soul is dying or something.

Could that be a temporal lobe seizure? I've done research online, and even "brief recurrent depression" is supposed to last a few days, not 45 minutes. Again, I'm not depressed in general, and these episodes are really terrible. I don't know if I should see a doctor or not. I don't want to just go to a psychiatrist, because I'm sure I'd get diagnosed with depression and prescribed medication (which I do not want), but I don't know if I have enough reason to see a neurologist.

Am I a hypochondriac, or should I see a doctor?

Sorry for the long post.


I would reccomend seeing a doctor, especially if you feel they are cusing you problems.


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CatsareAwesome
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09 Oct 2008, 12:25 am

Thanks, guys, for all your information and suggestions. I think I might mention it to my GP first, and try to approach it from a medical standpoint first. I know I am not depressed, but I feel like I might be easily misdiagnosed so by a psychiatrist (I know firsthand from treating my social anxiety how little time they spend on diagnosis and treatment- medication and out the door), so I don't want to start with a psychiatrist. I also am a little leery of starting with a neurologist because I don't want to come off as a hypochondriac who diagnoses herself off the Internet. I think I'll mention it to my GP and feel him out for whether it might be worth it to see a neurologist. I'll let you guys know how it goes.



CatsareAwesome
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09 Oct 2008, 12:32 am

stimpysuzie wrote:
I have fits of depression just like you describe, whereby all of a sudden, literally, I will go into this deep blue period lasting no longer than half an hour. I think about suicide and all that nasty stuff then as quick as it came it goes away again. It is off putting and very much a mystery, as I haven't acted upon it.


It's good to know I'm not the only person who has experienced this, even if we don't know the cause. I've been researching rapid-cycling depression and bipolar, but all I've found are case studies which involve people with serious, ongoing mood disorders- not just a temporary, extremely brief episode of severe depression every few weeks with no symptoms the rest of the time. I want to make as sure as possible before I see a doctor that this is not just some kind of less well-known pattern of depression. It looks like it is definitely not. Basically, I just really don't want to go to the doctor and have them try to prescribe me lithium or something when I know I don't need it.