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Behaviour Modification in the Treatment of Pseudoseizures: A Case Report*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2009

Juliana Rasic Lachenmeyer  and
Madelyn E. Olson
Juliana Rasic Lachenmeyer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Department of Psychiatry, North Shore University Hospital, Cornell University Medical College
Madelyn E. Olson
Affiliation:
North Shore University Hospital, Cornell University Medical College
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Abstract

This paper presents a case of a 13-year-old educably retarded girl with a seizure disorder who also presented with pseudo-seizures. Behavioural techniques, specifically planned to ignore the seizure and reinforcement of “seizure free” periods were used to eliminate the pseudo-seizures. The intervention was carried out simultaneously in multiple settings by school and medical personnel as well as parents. A four-year follow-up indicated that treatment gains had been maintained and had generalized over time and across settings.

Type
Clinical Section
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 18 , Issue 1 , January 1990 , pp. 73 - 78
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 1990

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