Place and Value of Electroencephalography in Current Psychiatry

Overview

The value of the electroencephalography in psychiatric diagnosis has frequently been questioned because of the evident nonspecificity of findings when comparing different psychiatric groups to normal control subjects. On the basis of the preceding, it would appear that the gross similarities seen between the EEG patterns of various psychiatric groups should not necessarily be interpreted as reinforcing the concept of nonspecificity of the EEG. Rather, such similarities could be interpreted as denoting similarities of the underlying processes. Further refinement of patient subgrouping and EEG analysis techniques may develop the potential usefulness of the EEG for patient screening and identification of probable CNS mechanism underlying various psychiatric disorders.

Key words:
electroencephalography, indication of EEG in psychiatry, value of EEG.