Psychiatric comorbidity and hostility in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures compared with somatoform disorders and healthy controls.

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity and level of anxiety, depression, and aggression in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures compared with those in patients with somatoform disorders and healthy controls.

Methods: Twenty-three patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNESs) and 23 age- and sex-matched patients with somatoform disorders (SDs) underwent a clinical and a semistructured psychiatric interview (MINI) and filled in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD) and the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). Twenty-three sex- and age-matched controls without psychopathology also underwent a clinical interview and completed the HAD and AQ.