Benzodiazepines, antiseizure meds should not be prescribed for functional seizure without co-occurring epilepsy or other indication<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Psychological interventions may be effective for achieving freedom from functional seizures, according to new practice guidelines issued by the American Academy of Neurology and published online Dec. 10 in Neurology<\/em>.<\/p>\n Benjamin Tolchin, M.D., from the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and developed evidence-based recommendations for clinicians, patients, and other stakeholders on the management of functional seizures.<\/p>\n The researchers found that psychological interventions are possibly effective for increasing the likelihood of achieving freedom from functional seizures, reducing the frequency of functional seizures, reducing anxiety, and improving health-related quality of life and psychosocial functioning. They recommend that clinicians should seek historical and semiological information from both patients and witnesses when evaluating patients with seizure-like episodes, and where feasible, they may obtain video-electroencephalograms of all typical seizure-like episodes. Patients diagnosed with functional seizures should be evaluated for co-occurring psychiatric disorders and co-occurring epilepsy. <\/p>\n The researchers note that universal standards of care for patients should be adhered to, including speaking respectfully, refraining from unnecessary harm, and avoiding stigmatizing behavior. A specific diagnostic label and rationale for the diagnosis should be provided by clinicians; they should engage in shared decision-making regarding the treatment plan and should provide continuity of care. Clinicians should counsel patients regarding the potential benefits and risks of psychological interventions when they are indicated; interested and appropriate patients should be referred to these interventions. Patients with functional seizures without co-occurring epilepsy or another indication should not be prescribed benzodiazepines or antiseizure medications.<\/p>\n “Most people with functional seizures do not receive targeted and evidence-based treatment, contributing to ongoing functional seizures and disability,” Tolchin said in a statement.<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n