Are Schizophrenia And Epilepsy Related? Please Read!!!

Hi,
i've read that migraines and epilepsy are related. I don't think that i've ever read anything about schizophrenia being linked though. It would be very good to ask your neurologist as you will get exact information from him/her. Like you said, the two are brain disorders and neurological conditions can be linked, but I hesitate to say that one causes the other. You sound very worried about all of it understandably and are concerned for your daughter. Has anything happened that has caused you to be so concerned about her, or is it just that you are "on guard" looking for any signs of what you might consider to be a possible cycle?
What type of epilepsy have you been diagnosed with and how did it come about that you were tested and diagnosed?
I hope you don't mind my asking questions, i'd like to be of support to you.
Kathy

I had a syncopal episode while in the car and my husband took me to the nearest er not knowing what else to do. Before they discharged me from the er, I passed out 3 more times. So they admitted me.
While in the hospital they did an eeg which came back positive for lots of seizure activity. And for me to see a neurologist.
I've had headaches and migraines my whole life. The neurologist told me I had epilepsy and that my headaches and migraines were a form of seizure caused by my epilepsy. (i think I worded that right..)
with no convulsions or family history, I went to a different hospital, different neurologist, even different state and got a 2nd opinion. He repeated the eeg at the hospital he has privileges at and it was abnormal also. He called me yesterday afternoon telling me I was definitely epileptic and would need to stay on meds for the rest of my life. Even though i've never had a convulsive type seizures, i've realized i've had all sorts of other symptoms my whole life and never realized it.
For instance, I thought when you lay down at night and close your eyes, it was normal to see flashing lights with your eyes closed. I've seen this my whole life. I thought it was normal. Who knew???
Thanks for the advise.

Amijoy,
there are genetic common denominators between epilepsy and schizophrenia. That does .N.O.T mean that one will become the other. It might, however, be one reason why both exist in your family.

Chromosome band / disorder or disease
__________________________________________ _______
10q23.3-q24.1 / partial epilepsy
10q24 / partial epilepsy w. Auditory features
10q24-q26 / adhd (adra2 a2-adrenergic receptor)
10q24.3 / polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos)
10q25.3-q26.1 / epilepsy
10q26 / bipolar disorder (susceptibility)
10q26 / schizophrenia
__________________________________________ _______
15q11-q13 gaba-a receptor beta3 and alpha5 subunit gene cluster on chromosome band.
Includes following disorder:
...Angelman syndrome
...Autism
...Autistic/asperger savant skills
...Epilepsy
...Bipolar disorder

15q13-14 / schizophrenia
15q13-14 / juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
__________________________________________ _______
22q11-q12 / epilepsy, partial, with variable foci (2)
22q11.2 deletion bipolar; mixed state & rapid cycling
22q11.2 / schizophrenia, susceptibility to
22q11-13 / schizophrenia, susceptibility to
22q13.1 / autism, succinylpurinemic

If you come on the board again would love to have you contact me especially if you are a genetic researcher. I have 2 autistic sons, I suffer from manic-depression, and at one time suffered from migraines. The links you put up are interestin.Would like to learn more. By the way my sons carry the fragile x chromosome and were apart of a research program located on staten island-institute of basic research in developmemtal disabilities. Ted brown who researched my sons is the researcher who discovered the chromosone. I by the way also have epilepsy.


Sincerely,
leslie lane

Hi all... Considering that my mothers mother had manic depression... And all throught my mothers child hood. My mother thought that she her self was going mad from feelings of her hands being too big or her body being too small or her feet being too big or vise versa. My mothers mother spent alot of her life in mental institutions. I am 22 yrs old now. My grand mother is long passed away when I was 13. When I was younger like my siblings had those same unusual feelings of detatchment, feeling of body distortion.. Even though there was nothing really wrong.. With my appearance to others it would freak me out.. When I was 21 I had a huge convulsive seizure.. I still have seizures daily... I also hear voices and do odd things... I have been diagnosed as haveing temporal lobe epilepsy.
I have read alot on the alice in wonderland sydnrome... I dont know.. I guess I would have to say that some form of mental illness went hand in hand with epilepsy... In the olden days if you had epilepsy you were looked upon as a crazy person and you were locked up..
Prehaps my grandmother had epilepsy? We will never know or I have manic depression? They say that schitziophrenia doesnt rear its ugly head till your early 20's anyway.

Hi, I'm 23 years old and my mother has suffered from schitziophrenia as long as I can remember. She also seems to have multiple personalities, at least 4 that I can point out. However she has a huge paranoia about anyone saying she has any type of mental disorder, so she has never been diagnosed. However several doctors have tried to prescribe her medication for different mental/ depression illnesses. She instead is a serious alcoholic and refuses any type of medication. My whole life I have been my mom's best friend and have always been there for her, helping her through many mental breakdowns and even suicide attemps when I was only 8 years old. During my younger years I was unaware that she had any disorder and thought the way she was, was normal for all moms. So there were alot of mental games that she played with my child mind that I am only now coming to terms with. Recently one of her personalities has taken a personal agenda to vindictively try to hurt me both emotionally and physically. She has my older brother convinced that I have been physically attacking her when it has been the other way around. I have moved out and have been in hiding. I have made the decision to join the military in order to get away from the crazyiness that is ingulfing my life right now. However it has always been my dream to start a family, I dearly love and want to have children... seeing as I raised my 3 younger siblings from such a small age. Luckily I have not been effected by any mental disorders, and none of my mother's 5 children have either. But what I am worried about is whether or not my future children will or could be effected by her serious mental illness? She is one out of 4 kids and they all suffer from schitziophrenia, her younger brother has been in an institution since the age of 18. Please give me some advice, or statistics on the disorder and how it effects 3rd generation. Can I have children?

Elizabeth