What is a pseudoseizure? Kellie Pickler's husband Kyle Jacobs' cause of death revealed 3 months later

Three months following the demise of Kellie Pickler's husband Kyle Jacobs on February 17, 2023, his cause of death has been finally disclosed. According to Kyle's autopsy report from Davidson County Medical Examiner, he died by suicide from an intraoral shotgun wound.

According to toxicology reports, there were no drugs inside Kyle Jacobs' body but had a "history of pseudoseizures, gastrointestinal bleeding, elevated liver enzymes, and chronic alcohol use."

For the uninitiated, as per NIH, pseudoseizures are seizures that have "psychiatric origin." They represent epileptic seizures but are usually tied to underlying psychological conditions.

As per Kellie, she first became concerned when she woke up in the morning and could not find her husband. She revealed to the police officers that her assistant immediately called the cops for help when they could not open the door to the upstairs bedroom.

Kyle's body was discovered inside his residence and authorities were informed about the same at around 1:21 pm. When they arrived at the house, they found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, following which an investigation was launched.

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Pseudoseizures: Causes, symptoms, prevention and more

According to Medical News Today, pseudoseizures are also called psychogenic nonepileptic seizures and can lead to mental stress. But they are different from epilepsy and do not lead to changes in electrical impulses in the brain. It is a result of psychological functions instead of changes in the brain function.

Epilepsy Foundation has revealed that around 20-30% of people who have joined epilepsy centers for intractable seizures experience pseudoseizures. The problem affects around 2 to 33 individuals among 10,000.

Common symptoms of the disease include unresponsive behavior, changes in consciousness, shaking movements, pelvic thrusting, shaking the head from side to side, closing the eyes, closing or clenching the mouth, and staring spells.

A few signs that hint towards pseudoseizures include wildly thrashing, side-to-side head movements, stuttering or shouting phrases, closing the mouth and eyes, responding to loud noise or other stimuli, and lack of drowsiness following an episode.

Causes of the disease include a history of mood or personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociative disorders, anxiety, depression, history of s*xual or physical abuse, stress, traumatic brain injury, attention issues, substance use, and behavioral disturbance.

Pseudoseizures cannot be prevented, but addressing mental health concerns can help to reduce them. Individuals who have experienced trauma can get help from early counseling or therapy sessions and certain measures like relaxation practices, exercises, and therapies can prove to be beneficial.

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Kyle Jacobs gained recognition as a musician all these years

Kyle Jacobs was married to Kellie Pickler (Image via Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

Kyle Jacobs became popular for his work at Curb Music as a songwriter. He was a writer of different singles by artists like Trace Adkins, Scotty McCreery, Tim McGraw, Clay Walker, and others.

Jacobs gained recognition as the co-writer of Garth Brooks' song More Than a Memory. The single was released in 2007 and topped the Billboard charts. He also worked with different musicians like Darius Rucker, Wynonna, and others.

He and Kellie Pickler first met in 2008 through a mutual friend. They got engaged in 2010 and tied the knot in 2011. Pickler also spoke about the proposal on Instagram where she revealed that the day of the proposal also marked her grandmother's birthday.

Kellie Pickler and Kyle Jacobs appeared together in the reality series, I Love Kellie Pickler. Pickler is also an actress and singer and has released four albums and 12 singles until now.