Differential diagnostics of epileptic and non-epileptic seizures is a problem based on distinguishing epileptic seizures with an organic etiology and non-epileptic seizures with a predominant psychopathological etiopathogenesis. There is a growing evidence which supports a dissociative mechanism of non-epileptic seizures and dissociative psychopathology provides important findings concerning etiology and diagnostics. In these study 21 epileptic patients, 8 men and 13 women, mean age 33 were investigated by 5 scales focused on dissociation (psychic and somatoform), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and child traumas (DES, SDQ-20, IES, BDI-II and TSC-40). Possibilities of differential diagnostics between non-epileptic and epileptic seizures are reverse than it is common in neurological practice, where diagnosis of non-epileptic seizure is the result of excluding epilepsy after EEG monitoring. In this case diagnosis is based on confirmation of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures by a positive finding of dissociative symptoms. This examination makes possible earlier therapy and is an important complement of common neurological diagnostics.

        Key words: epilepsy, psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, dissociative disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder.