Michaelis, RosaAndrews, Donna J.Reiter, Joel M.von Schoen-Angerer, Tido2024-05-232024-05-232014Michaelis, R., Andrews, D. J., Reiter, J. M., & von Schoen-Angerer, T. (2014). Resolving cognitive dissonance by acquisition of self-organizational skills may decrease drug-resistant seizures—A case report. Epilepsy & Behavior Case Reports, 2, 64–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebcr.2014.03.0032213-3232https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebcr.2014.03.003https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14430/545<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">A recent review of psychobehavioral therapy for epilepsy recommends case reports as a research design to explore specific psychological mediators of psychobehavioral interventions for epilepsy that address the bidirectional relationship between psychological states and seizures. The report was prepared according to the consensus-based CARE guidelines for standardized clinical case reporting.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">This is a case of a 16-year-old male individual with a diagnosed seizure disorder and learning disability who continued to have daytime and nighttime seizures on a regular basis despite exhausting of available conventional treatment options. A psychological assessment led to the working hypothesis that cognitive dissonance between fear of failure and high expectations of self had led to a “broken” self-image and active avoidance of responsibility that resulted in intense emotional distress which correlated with the occurrence of seizures. This working hypothesis resulted in a treatment plan that employed the acquisition of self-organizational skills and relaxation techniques as the main therapeutic strategy. Motivational strategies were employed to facilitate the regulation of lifestyle-related seizure precipitants. In this case, the acquisition of self-organizational skills and the development of seizure interruption techniques correlated with a clinically significant decrease of seizures. Methodological limitations of the interpretation of the presented data are discussed.</p><h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Keywords</h2><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Epilepsy; Stress; Drug-resistant seizures; Seizure trigger; Psychotherapy; Cognitive–behavioral therapy</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><strong>Citation</strong>: Michaelis, R., Andrews, D. J., Reiter, J. M., &amp; von Schoen-Angerer, T. (2014). Resolving cognitive dissonance by acquisition of self-organizational skills may decrease drug-resistant seizures—A case report. <i>Epilepsy &amp; Behavior Case Reports</i>, 2, 64–66. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebcr.2014.03.003" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebcr.2014.03.003</a></p>Case reportsseizuresEpilepsyStressPsychotherapyCognitive-behavioral therapy/library/2024/3/28/resolving-cognitive-dissonance