Classification of psychiatric symptoms in patients with epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder, but many patients with epilepsy also have psychiatric symptoms. These symptoms and the underlying psychopathology vary considerably among patients, and the classification of these symptoms is disputed. Some classifications are based on the psychiatric symptomatology, the presence or absence of disturbance of consciousness, the EEG abnormalities, or the temporal relation between the symptoms and the seizures. The International Classification of Mental and Behavioral Disorders: Clinical Description and Diagnostic Guidelines (ICD-10) is accepted worldwide in psychiatry. The feasibility of classifying the psychiatric symptoms associated with the epilepsy according to the ICD-10 classification was studied. It was concluded that only symptoms in cases of epilepsy where there is a clear sensorium might be appropriately classified by the ICD-10. The classification of psychiatric symptoms in epilepsy needs further investigation.