[Mental changes during continuous epileptic discharges].

In cases of psychic changes with continuously repeated spikes and/or sharp waves in the EEG the following diagnoses were made: 1. Absence status (1 status of complex absences with a rotatory motion of the head; 1 combination of continuous and discontinuous absence status). 2. Atypical and prolonged twilight states after tonic-clonic fits (2 absence status; 2 twilight states with continuously repeated sharp waves with focal accentuation). 3. Socalled "Minor epileptic status" (Brett, 1966) (2 cases). 4. Behaviour disturbances (1 abortive absence status; 2 cases with psychic changes and continuously repeated multifocal and secondary generalized sharp waves). In the view of therapy it is necessary to differentiate between postictal twilight states with or without sharp waves in the EEG. The term 'Minor epileptic status' contains several different epileptic conditions, especially Petit mal status in cases of West- or Lennox-Gastaut-syndromes. A detailed description of the individual clinical picture seems to be more informatives than the subsumption under the global term of 'Minor epileptic status'. - The kind of connection between the psychic disturbances and the EEG-discharges is discussed.