Psychiatric Care for Children with Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders
Dr. Annabel Kuhn is a board-certified psychiatrist who completed her residency at Harvard and her fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital. She provides psychiatric care for children with epilepsy and other seizure disorders.
Children with epilepsy may experience anxiety, depression, irritability, behavioral changes, attention difficulties, or problems at school due the stress of living with epilepsy.
Dr. Kuhn treats the psychiatric symptoms while holding the full neurological picture in view, and communicates with your child's neurologist when it matters.
Every family begins with a brief phone conversation before scheduling an evaluation.
Where Dr. Kuhn Fits In
Dr. Kuhn does
- Evaluate and treat anxiety, depression, irritability, behavioral change, and attention difficulties in children with epilepsy
- Review the timing of psychiatric symptoms relative to seizures and to medication changes
- Consider how antiseizure medications may be contributing to mood, behavior, or cognition
- Communicate directly with your child's neurologist and school
- Prescribe psychiatric medication with attention to interactions with the existing regimen
Dr. Kuhn does not
- Diagnose or manage epilepsy itself
- Manage antiseizure medications or adjust the neurological treatment plan
- Order or interpret EEG, MRI, or other neurological testing
- Replace your child's neurologist
What Families Often Notice
Psychiatric symptoms in children with epilepsy can be difficult to separate from the seizure disorder and its treatment. Common concerns include:
Dr. Kuhn's Approach
Care begins with a thorough evaluation. The evaluation typically takes two hours, the first hour is a meeting the parents or primary caregiver. That gives the adults space to share the complete history, including the seizure history, every medication trial, and concerns they may not want to raise in front of their child.
The second hour is with the child where she aims to understand the child as an individual to grasp the full context.
With epilepsy specifically, the timeline matters enormously. Dr. Kuhn maps when psychiatric symptoms began relative to seizure onset, seizure frequency, and every antiseizure medication change. That sequence often explains something that months of separate appointments have not.
Parents know their children better than anyone, so Dr. Kuhn approaches this work as a partnership. Parents bring the expertise on their child, she brings the psychiatric expertise. She wants parents to feel comfortable disagreeing with her and saying when a recommendation is not working, so the plan can be adjusted together.
Who Dr. Kuhn Coordinates With
With medically complex children, the information needed to understand the psychiatric picture is often spread across several people and settings. With your consent, Dr. Kuhn communicates with whoever holds the relevant pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Dr. Kuhn treat epilepsy?
No. Dr. Kuhn is a psychiatrist, not a neurologist. She does not diagnose epilepsy, manage antiseizure medications, or order neurological testing. She treats the child's mental health while taking the epilepsy and its treatment fully into account, and coordinates with the neurologist who manages the seizure disorder.
My child's behavior changed after starting a new seizure medication. Can Dr. Kuhn help?
Yes, this is a common reason families reach out. Antiseizure medications can affect mood, irritability, attention, and behavior. Dr. Kuhn reviews the timing of the change against the medication history, distinguishes medication effects from a separate psychiatric condition, and communicates her findings to the prescribing neurologist so the two treatment plans work together.
Will Dr. Kuhn talk to my child's neurologist?
Yes, with your consent. Direct communication with the neurology team is a routine part of this work rather than an exception. Because Dr. Kuhn maintains a limited patient panel, she has the time that this coordination requires.
How do we start?
Every family begins with a brief ten-minute phone call with a parent or caregiver. You describe what you are looking for and ask questions about her approach, and she confirms that her practice is appropriate for your child's needs before you commit to a full evaluation. If it is a good fit, the next step is the initial evaluation, which begins with a 60 to 90 minute virtual appointment with parents before she meets your child.
How often would my child be seen?
As often as clinically needed. Many psychiatrists can only offer appointments every one to three months. Because Dr. Kuhn keeps a limited patient panel, she has availability to see children more frequently when the situation calls for it, which matters during medication changes or periods of instability.
Is telehealth available, and what areas does Dr. Kuhn serve?
Yes. Telehealth appointments are available for families throughout Massachusetts, which many families managing frequent medical appointments find easier to sustain. Dr. Kuhn also sees patients in person in Brookline, one mile from Boston Children's Hospital and the Longwood Medical Area, and serves the Greater Boston area including Cambridge, Somerville, Newton, and surrounding communities.
Our Location
Brookline, MA 02446
Virtual appointments available throughout Massachusetts
Located on Beacon Street near Coolidge Corner, one mile from Boston Children's Hospital and the Longwood Medical Area.
Start With a 10-Minute Call
Before scheduling an evaluation, Dr. Kuhn speaks with a parent or caregiver by phone for about ten minutes. It is a chance to describe what your child needs, ask about her approach, and decide together whether this practice is the right fit.
Request a Call