Mesial temporal lobe seizures presenting as anxiety disorders

Five patients had brief simple partial seizures that mimicked panic disorder. The following features assisted diagnosis: Seizures were briefer and more stereotyped than panic attacks; some progressed to typical complex partial seizures; and aphasia and dysmnesia occurred during seizures in some patients. Each patient had one mesial temporal structural lesion. Routine waking EEG was normal in 2 patients. Inadequate response to anti-epileptics necessitated partial temporal lobectomy in 4 patients, 3 of whom remain seizure free.