This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on ISI (5)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Substance Abuse/ Alcoholism  • History of Medicine  • Epilepsy  • Seizures, Nonepileptic  • Public Health  • Alert me on articles by topic

Carl W. Bazil, MD, PhD

Arch Neurol. 1999;56:740-743.

ABSTRACT
Edgar Allan Poe, one of the most celebrated of American storytellers, lived through and wrote descriptions of episodic unconsciousness, confusion, and paranoia. These symptoms have been attributed to alcohol or drug abuse but also could represent complex partial seizures, prolonged postictal states, or postictal psychosis. Complex partial seizures were not well described in Poe's time, which could explain a misdiagnosis. Alternatively, he may have suffered from complex partial epilepsy that was complicated or caused by substance abuse. Even today, persons who have epilepsy are mistaken for substance abusers and occasionally are arrested during postictal confusional states. Poe was able to use creative genius and experiences from illness to create memorable tales and poignant poems.

From the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY.