Title: Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures: A Guide
Author: Lorna Myers, Ph.D.
Publisher: Create Space
ISBN: 1492881414
Pages: 196, Paperback/Kindle
Genre: Health and Fitness Books
Reviewed by: Kimberlee Hicks, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
In the sciences of medicine and psychology, there are myriad subjects for practitioners to turn their focus to. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that something is going to get lost in the shuffle, and Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES) appears to have drawn the short end of the stick in that game. This is not because PNES is a trivial matter; on the contrary, author Dr. Lorna Myers, explains that while the seizures endemic to the sufferers are not related to epilepsy, they do stem from heightened emotional distress (anxiety, anger, frustration), and almost always indicate some form of trauma in their past.This may be the key reason so little is known in the medical community about PNES, and patients are shuffled between psychiatrists and neurologists who each don’t know how best to treat them once it’s discovered that epilepsy is not the problem, and that the same medication won’t work.
With more than ten years worth of experience in this very neglected field, Dr. Myers has something unique to offer the science community, and the need for a book like hers was simple to confirm after only a quick Google search – while she does not stand alone, Dr. Myers continues to stand out in her approach. Instead of simply focusing on the condition, Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures: A Guide is a book for the people. For those suffering from PNES, their family and friends, their doctors, and everyone else who’s been touched by it.
The author never speaks in the voice of a didactic college professor, but with the spirit of a life coach. Her knowledge is undeniable, and I don’t think anyone who reads the book, even if they have PNES, will walk away without having learned something new. Going a step beyond the information, Dr. Myers guides her readers through the speed bumps they might encounter in their daily lives. I particularly enjoyed her sections dealing with dating, the workplace, and children. It was here that her experience really shone, highlighting all the time she’d spent with her patients, helping them to navigate their daily lives, and now sharing the positive results with her readers.
Dr. Myers book is invaluable. For sufferers of PNES, it not only provides knowledge, but it acts as a roadmap for self-management and a way to gain independence and control. Dr. Myers gives her readers as many tools as she can in order to help them succeed, including information on associated conditions, medications, and even covers supplements and alternative treatments some of her patients have tried. This last information, offered with neither support nor condemnation, also comes with further words of advice on who shouldn’t take them, in order to avoid a negative reaction.
I believe that Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures: A Guide will be a valuable tool for neurologists, psychologists, and all others in those fields, who find themselves in need of a better understanding of the condition. Having read quite a few psychology texts, I can say without a doubt which book I would turn to for advice, and recommend, as well. Were I a publisher, I would pick this book up immediately.
