Diagnosis of functional seizures, also known as psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, starts with a clinical interview and description of the seizures. A targeted approach to this evaluation can provide valuable information to gauge the likelihood of functional seizures as compared with other similar conditions including but not limited to epileptic seizures. This review focuses on the use of patient and witness descriptions and seizure videos to identify patients with probable functional seizures. Particular emphasis is given to recognizing the limitations of the available data and the influence of health-care provider expertise on diagnostic accuracy.
Keywords: Asynchronous movements; Dissociative seizures; Eye closure; Ictal behavior; Interview; Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES).
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