Is epilepsy a mental illness? No, it’s not. But it can put people at greater risk of mood disorders such as bipolar disorder. We are increasingly discovering that mood disorders and epilepsy coexist. But there is still much that we do not understand in the connection between them.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 30 percent of people with epilepsy also suffer from serious mental illness, including bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia. The prevalence of depression has been shown to be much higher than that of bipolar disorder.

Link between epilepsy and bipolar disorder

Rafael Forest, a neuropsychologist at the Marcus Institute of Neurology, says there is likely a correlation between bipolar disorder and epilepsy. Bipolar disorder is characterized by bouts of depression, but also mania “highs” when a person can move away from reality. They may have a reduced need for rest or sleep, as well as lack of appetite, lack of concentration, racing thoughts, shortsightedness, and feelings of selfishness or empowerment.

Wald says structural differences in the brain are similar between people with mood disorders, including bipolar disorder, and people with mood disorders. epilepsy. “Both diseases are associated with known chemical and structural differences in the brain. [that are different] from people who don’t have seizures or mood disorders,” Wald says.

The chronic nature of the disease and the hopelessness that accompanies it play a role, but that’s not all. The relationship between bipolar disorder and epilepsy is complex.

Epilepsy and seizures

According to Epilepsy Foundationthose who have seizures are also affected by other neurobiological factors such as head injuries, strokes associated with the onset of certain types of epilepsy, and neurotransmitter problems in the brain associated with both epilepsy and bipolar disorder.

In addition, medications such as phenobarbital have also been shown to cause depression in some people. There are also some indications that an excess of cytokines (a protein associated with the immune response) in the brain may be present in patients with epilepsy and bipolar disorder. Dysfunction in the temporal lobe, the part of the brain that processes auditory functions and codes for memories, may also play a role in both diseases.

Treatment of epilepsy with bipolar disorder

It is also important to note that according to a 2013 study published in the journal epileptic behaviorthat there would be a genetic component to both diseases. Bipolar disorder is associated with a family history, as are some types of epilepsy. According to the study, “it is critical to conduct a study of the patient’s personal history and family psychiatric history in order to minimize the risk of potential psychiatric symptoms.”

According to a 2016 study published in the journal FocusThe researchers found that both conditions respond to similar medications, which may indicate similar pathologies in the brain. “In some cases, the symptoms of bipolar disorder and epilepsy can be treated simultaneously with the same anticonvulsant,” the study authors write. For example, the anticonvulsant drug levetiracetam has been shown to treat both disorders.

Signs of Bipolar Disorder in Patients with Epilepsy

Patients with epilepsy have a one in three chance of also having a mood disorder, Wald says. If the patient has bipolar disorder, look for signs of mania, he says. “Mania includes less need for sleep, increased focus, risk-taking behavior, excessive spending, and other such symptoms,” he says.

Bipolar disorder, like epilepsy, requires treatment. It’s not something you can live with because it’s a chemical imbalance that needs proper treatment. But some treatments have been shown to be effective and allow patients with both diseases to live normal lives.

Read more: What is epilepsy and what should we know about it?

Amazon Prime offers a huge selection of horror movies from over a century of cinematic history. There is everything from influential classics to recent releases, but all are intimidating. Here are the ten best horror movies to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

Updated 05/10/23: We’ve checked our links and we’re still confident that these are the best horror movies streaming on Prime Video.

black phone

video

Two forces of horror unite when director Scott Derrickson (Sinister) adapts a story by Joe Hill black phone. In suburban Denver in 1978, a serial killer known as Grabber (Ethan Hawke) kidnaps local children and his latest target is 13-year-old Finny Blake (Mason Thames).

Both reboot and sequel, 2021 version candy man updates the story of the 1992 original and also continues the main character’s saga. Originally played by Tony Todd, Candyman is a creature with hooked arms that appears when someone says his name five times while looking into a mirror.

Though it’s not a horror classic of the first creep show, creeping show 2 is a worthy continuation of the anthology films based on the stories of Stephen King. The segments here feature a Native American wooden statue that comes to life for revenge; a mysterious slimy creature terrorizing teenagers on a lake; and a woman who is tormented by the ghost of a man she accidentally killed with her car. The Hitchhiker is the strongest of these segments, but all three capture the vintage horror feel that King and George Romero created in the first film.

Sequel to Clive Barker’s novel. Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II is actually a highlight of the long-running franchise, giving more screen time to iconic Doug villain Bradley Pinhead while also taking on a more surreal tone. It delves into the terrifying hellscape inhabited by Pinhead and his fellow Cenobites and showcases the dark, sadistic horrors they inflicted on victims opening a puzzle box known as the Lament Configuration.

The entire zombie genre owes its origins to George Romero’s 1968 classic. Night of the Living Dead, which created the modern concept of zombies as clumsy, flesh-eating corpses coming back to life. Small-scale production is also a marvel of tension and ingenuity, locking a handful of characters in the house while the zombie apocalypse rages around them.

Mia Farrow experiences an intensified version of the fears of impending motherhood in the Roman Polanski classic. Rosemary’s baby. Pregnant young wife Rosemary (Farrow) feels isolated and lonely in her New York City apartment as her actor husband Guy (John Cassavetes) becomes increasingly busy and distant. Polanski brilliantly exacerbates Rosemary’s fear and distrust, which are more than justified when she learns the truth about her menacingly obliging neighbors.

Debut feature film directed by Rose Glass. Saint Maud focuses on the horrors of religious devotion. The main character (Morfydd Clark) is a nurse who has experienced a spiritual awakening and takes a job caring for a wealthy, terminally ill former dance star (Jennifer Ehle). Maud attempts to convert her patient by any means necessary, and Clarke conveys the initial intensity of her religious fervor. This fervor eventually turns deadly, in a striking and hauntingly beautiful climax.

There’s something particularly unsettling about a smile with sinister intent, and director Parker Finn takes full advantage of that in his films. smile. Sosie Bacon plays a psychologist who comes across the strange phenomenon where people are forced to kill themselves with insane smiles on their faces – a curse that seems to extend to those who witness every death.

A 2018 remake of the cult classic by Italian director Dario Argento. Suspiria takes the story in an even more impressionistic, hallucinatory direction. The film stars Dakota Johnson as a seemingly naive young American who comes to study at a sinister dance school in Berlin. Director Luca Guadagnino creates a haunting film about ambition, jealousy and bizarre cult activity.

Korean director Yong Sang Ho reinterprets the zombie genre in an international blockbuster. Train to Busan, which takes place almost entirely on a commuter train from Seoul to Busan as a zombie outbreak overwhelms the passengers. It combines the fast-paced, self-contained momentum of a Hollywood action movie with the tension and gore of a zombie thriller.