Ictal face perception disturbance, tattoos, and reclaiming the self

We present a case of a young man with frightening ictal disturbance of face perception, or prosopometamorphopsia, arising from the left temporo-occipital region, leading to significant psychosocial impairment. A vivid forearm tattoo of the ictal experience conveyed its nature to the treating team an...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: T.T. Winton-Brown, L. Smith, J. Laing, T.J. O'Brien, A. Neal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-01-01
Series:Epilepsy & Behavior Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589986423000138
Description
Summary:We present a case of a young man with frightening ictal disturbance of face perception, or prosopometamorphopsia, arising from the left temporo-occipital region, leading to significant psychosocial impairment. A vivid forearm tattoo of the ictal experience conveyed its nature to the treating team and facilitated a psychotherapeutic process leading to significant psychosocial recovery. This case highlights the marked psychosocial and developmental impacts of epilepsy and the benefit of incorporating these into assessment and treatment.
ISSN:2589-9864