Benign adult familial myoclonus epilepsy with depressive state: A case report

Benign adult familial myoclonus epilepsy (BAFME) is a rare epileptic disease that has predominantly been reported in the Japanese population. To date, there have been no reports of psychotic symptoms in BAFME patients. We recently encountered one patient with BAFME accompanied by an apparently related major depressive episode. The depressive state did not improve after trials of several antidepressive agents, including clomipramine, fluvoxamine and alprazolam. However, clonazapam was very effective and immediately improved both the affective disorder and epileptic symptoms. Electroencephalographic (EEG) findings also improved, reflected by normalization of background activity and spikey waves. This clinical course could indicate that the depressive state derived from epileptic pathophysiology.