A comparative study on obsessive compulsive symptoms in temporal lobe and generalized epilepsies

Background& Objective: Temporal lobe epilepsy has been associated with psychopathology especially obsessive-compulsive (OC) traits or symptoms as one of it’s specific personality characteristics as compared to other epilepsies. This study was undertaken to assess the prevalence and type of OC symptoms in patients with complex partial seizures (CPS) and generalized seizure disorders and the association of OC symptoms with right or left sided lesions in patients with CPS. Methods: Thirty patients each of CPS and generalized seizure disorder were enrolled to study OC symptoms with the help of the Padua Inventory, a 39 item measure of obsessions and compulsions on 5 content areas relevant to obsessive compulsive disorder. A proforma was prepared to study the various demographic variables, details of seizure disorder and MRI findings. Results: Ninety three per cent of CPS patients had OC symptoms as compared to 40% generalized seizure patients which was statistically significant. Dressing and grooming compulsions, contamination obsessions and washing compulsions were predominant in both the groups. On all the domains of the Padua Inventory, the CPS patients had statistically significant dysfunction than the generalized seizure patients. A highly significant association between left sided temporal lobe sclerosis for obsessions of contamination and washing as well as dressing and grooming was seen in the CPS patients. Conclusions: Involvement of different brain structures in different epileptic syndromes, plays a role in the susceptibility to develop specific psychopathological disorders like OC symptoms or obsessive compulsive disorder which are seen more in CPS as compared to generalized seizures.