This discussion of the evolution of psychiatric knowledge concerning psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) sheds light on the epistemological assumptions underlying the concept and on its practical implications as well. PNES are defined as repeated seizures or attacks which can be mistaken for epilepsy because of the similar behavioral changes displayed, but which differ in that they are not the result of abnormal electrical activity in the brain and may be psychogenic in origin. The article investigates the historical development of the concept of PNES over the past forty years. The concepts of psychiatric comorbidity, abuse, and dissociation enter the discussion owing to their roles in the checkered development of the concept of PNES.
psychogenic non-epileptic seizures; pseudo-epileptic seizures; hysteria; history of hysteria; history of psychiatry
