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. Please if you read this email me at san dbag5492004@yahoo.Com. 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.