I've done a bit of research in the past about
dissociative symptoms, migraines, bipolar disorder, seizure disorders and pseudo seizures, and even fibromyalgia. There are an uncanny number of associations/similarities between them in some peoples' experiences. Some (not all necessarily common to all) are as follows:
- Many are sometimes treated with anticonvulsants (i.e. Depakote, Tegretol, Lamictal, Neurontin aka gabapentin, etc.)
- Many sometimes include "aura-like" beginnings before "episodes" begin
- The "Kindling Effect" is relevant to many of these conditions
- "Out of body experiences" may be had as part of many of these
- Various types of hallucinations may be experienced as part of many of these (i.e. visual, auditory, space-time distortions, deja vu, oflactory, musical, etc.)
- Types of amnesia (like en block or fragmentary blackouts) or memory issues, as part of many, for some
- Many have similar stressors/triggers (i.e. light, types of stress, hormonal changes, others)
- Anxiety and/or depression may occur as part of, or as a result of many of the mentioned
- Sleep disturbances (insomnia, hypersomnia) may play a role in many of these
- In some cases, stuttering? Or rapid repetition of words/phrases.
- In some of these cases, people with one (or more) of the above-mentioned conditions, also frequently have a higher percent chance of having another, than the general public (for example, people with bipolar disorder have a higher incidence of migraines)
The brain is a very interesting organ!
I created this list a while ago. I didn't save a list of resources. If anyone wants some, let me know or feel free to google associations on your own. Obviously experiences may vary, and some bulleted items may only pertain to a couple or a few disorders, but most could pertain to all.
As a final note, once I went to a psychiatrist that also specialized in neurology. She told me that some in the fields even theorize that bipolar episodes may actually be types of seizures. Seizures do indeed present in various ways. I do not know if that theory could be correct. I don't mean to be promoting the idea.