Limbic lobe epilepsy with paranoid symptoms: analysis of clinical features and psychological tests

Ten cases of limbic epilepsy with paranoid symptoms were compared with 10 cases of limbic epilepsy without paranoid symptoms and 10 cases of primary generalized epilepsy ( GTC ). The clinical features (onset of seizures, their duration, combination with GTC , seizure control, social adaptability and laterality of foci) and psychological tests (WAIS, Bender-Gestalt, MPI, Y-G, Rorschach) were analyzed. Paranoid epileptics showed poor social adaptation in spite of the seizures being better controlled. They had a low performance IQ, a low object assembly test and a low picture completion test in WAIS. They were less extroversive in MPI, less aggressive and more introversive in the Yatabe -Gilford test. In the Rorschach test, they had a high color response and a form response but the form level was low.