Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Mar;23(3):266-71.
doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2011.11.023. Epub 2012 Feb 15.

Trigger self-control and seizure arrest in the Andrews/Reiter behavioral approach to epilepsy: a retrospective analysis of seizure frequency

Rosa Michaelis  1 , Warren Schonfeld, Siegward-M Elsas
Affiliations

Trigger self-control and seizure arrest in the Andrews/Reiter behavioral approach to epilepsy: a retrospective analysis of seizure frequency

Rosa Michaelis et al. Epilepsy Behav. 2012 Mar.

Abstract

The aim of this retrospective study is to describe changes of seizure frequency in epilepsy patients who participated in the Andrews/Reiter behavioral intervention for epilepsy. For this uncontrolled retrospective study, data were extracted from patients' medical journals. Intention-to-treat-analyses were restricted to patients with sufficient documentation supporting a diagnosis of probable or definite epilepsy. Main outcome variable was a comparison of mean seizure frequency at baseline and toward completion of the program. The seizure frequency of 30 (50%) patients showed a clinically meaningful improvement (>50% reduction of seizures) toward the end of the intervention. Twenty-two (37%) patients became seizure-free at the end of the intervention. In summary, a clinically meaningful reduction in reported seizure frequency was observed in epilepsy patients who received the Andrews/Reiter intervention for epilepsy. Prospective trials are needed to further investigate the program's efficacy and to study epileptic seizure triggers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures of Conflicts of Interest

None of the authors has a conflict of interest to disclose. We confirm that we have read the Journal’s position on issues involved in ethical publication and affirm that this report is consistent with those guidelines.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes of seizure frequency over the course of the intervention. Results are given in % and for each group of diagnostic certainty. Outcomes were categorized as seizure free = 100% decrease, much improved = 90% to 100% decrease, improved = ≥50% to 90% decrease, minimal change = <50% decrease or worsened = increase of seizures.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Documented duration of improvement of seizure frequency given in median months and for each diagnostic certainty group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Snyder M. Stressors, coping mechanisms, and perceived health in persons with epilepsy. Int Disabil Stud. 1990;12:100–103. - PubMed
    1. Stevanovic D. Health-related quality of life in adolescents with well-controlled epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav. 2007;10:571–575. - PubMed
    1. Dahl J, Melin L, Leissner P. Effects of a behavioral intervention on epileptic seizure behavior on epileptic seizure behavior and paroxysmal activity: A systematic replication of three cases of children with intractable epilepsy. Epilepsia. 1988;29:172–183. - PubMed
    1. Schmid-Schoenbein C. Improvement of seizure control by psychological methods in patients with intractable epilepsies. Seizure. 1998;7:261–270. - PubMed
    1. Wolf P, Okujava N. Possibilities of non-pharmacological conservative treatment of epilepsy. Seizure. 1999;8:45–52. - PubMed

Publication types