The authors conducted EE assessment of families of the ten patients (6 males and 4 females) who had episodes of uncontrollable epileptic attack despite long-term drug therapy (for not less than 3 years) according to Camberwell Family Interview (CFI).
1) EE was assessed high in the families of seven patients and low (onset age<20) in the families of three patients (onset age>20). 2) The families assessed to have high EE were all rated as 3 or over for EOI and were rated either CC>6 (critical type: onset age>10) or W/PR>3 (positive type: onset age, 10-20). 3) Patients living with families of critical type had concomitant splenetic and those living with families of positive type had concomitant crepuscule.
It seems that families of patients are likely to have emotional overinvolvement (self-sacrifice and dedication, extreme overprotection) because of the clinical characteristics of epilepsy that patients have chronic symptoms since the onset in childhood and in some cases have concomitant intellectual disorder but are quite normal when they don't have attack. It seems both of these attitudes can be psychological stress to epileptic patients and may cause a vicious circle of induction of attacks and occurrence of non-attack symptoms.
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