Motivational Interviewing to Enhance Adherence of Patients With Psychogenic Non-epileptic Seizures

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Psychogenic Non-epileptic Seizures, Motivational Interviewing

In brief

All subjects will attend an initial clinic visit with the neuropsychiatrist and epileptologist. At the end of this visit, those subjects randomized to motivational interviewing will be questioned using standardized motivational interviewing techniques by the study author who is a board certified neurologist and who will have formal training and certification in motivational interviewing. Those subjects randomized to the control group will also undergo an initial clinic visit with a neuropsychiatrist and neurologists. However they will not undergo any subsequent motivational interview. Following the initial clinic visit, all subjects with ongoing seizures will either be scheduled for ongoing psychotherapy for treatment of PNES at Brigham and Women's Hospital or referred to a local psychotherapist according to their preference. All subjects will be contacted by phone at 3 month follow-up. If necessary they will be called 5 times at various times during the day and early evening. If they are not reached, they will receive a letter requesting them to contact the study staff to complete the study. Subjects will be questioned about their adherence to treatment. The primary outcome will be the number of psychotherapy sessions for the treatment of PNES in which they have participated over the past three months. They will also be assessed for secondary outcomes including dichotomous adherence (either seizure freedom or active participation in psychotherapy for the treatment of PNES, with more than 5 sessions over the past 3 months), seizure frequency over the past month, number of hospitalizations and emergency department visits over the past 3 months, and quality of life as measured by the brief QOLIE-10 instrument. For those patients who give permission, their psychotherapists will be contacted by study staff to confirm the exact number of psychotherapy sessions over the past 3 months. A standard Partners clinical records release form with the patient's signature will be sent to the therapist's office.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02598076

Run by

Brigham and Women's Hospital

People needed

60

Starts

2015-08-01

Expected to finish

2017-06-01

Last updated by the study team

2019-04-24

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• The study population will be screened from all patients diagnosed with PNES in Brigham and Women's Hospital by capture of a definitive event on video EEG without EEG correlate.
• Patients with a mixed diagnosis of both PNES and epileptic seizures will be included.

You may not qualify if…

• Pediatric patients (under age 18) are not evaluated by EEG in our hospital and will therefore be excluded
• Estimated IQ<70
• Active substance use disorder
• Pregnancy or active medical issues anticipated to preclude participation in weekly psychotherapy

Where it is running

• Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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