A Romanian study examined 100 epileptics to test a hypothesized correlation between the acute disorganization and episodic loss of control caused by epileptic seizures and the perpetration of criminal acts. While epilepsy per se does not automatically cause crime, the criminogenic importance of this psychiatric illness cannot be underestimated. Epileptic seizures are accompanied either by completely unfocused, violent discharges of energy, or by focused and directed aggression. Alteration or loss of consciousness and amnesia are also part of the epilepsy-seizure syndrome. Epileptic patients' behavior fluctuates between apathy and impulsiveness, trust and hostility, are consistently more violent than acts perpetrated by psychopaths, chronic alcoholics and psychotics. A seemingly mild-tempered epileptic, although less dangerous than oligophrenics and schizophrenics, is potentially more dangerous than individuals, prone to manic attacks. Some of the most violent epileptic seizures are triggered by drunkenness. Since epilepsy patients represent 8.5% of all mentally-ill persons who commit antisocial acts, attempts at early diagnosis of this illness should focus on school children and families with known histories of epilepsy, taking all possible precautions to prevent epileptics from harming others and themselves. Italian and English abstracts and 13 references are appended.