Epilepsy itself is sometimes associated with mental illness. I have had moderate-severe epilepsy and I consistently drown in depression and anxiety. The best drug of choice for my seizures is actually used for chronic anxiety (I have a love/hate relationship Klonopin & Ativan).

Epilepsy and a later diagnosis of bipolar disorder isn't exactly what I was asking for. But yes, I've read time and again that they could well be related, or at the very least, they do like to team up with each other and make us absolutely miserable. Anxiety triggers the seizures. Seizures cause the anxiety. etc.

Hope I could give you a quick insight. :) I just finished sobbing all of three hours about a seizure I had before a test last week. Don't know if the test anxiety made me burst, or if the epilepsy is making it hard for me to concentrate/makes me cram. You and your family are in good company with lots of seizure sufferers experiencing backward emotions.

1. From what I have seen and experienced with people, I agree that they can look like a mental illness. Absence seizures can seem like a mental illness.
2. YES, seizures can change over time, as a person goes through all the stages of growing up, their epilepsy can and mostly do change.
3. Tremors can be related to epilepsy. But I think that people generally too often associate tremors with epilepsy. In such cases when a person does often experience tremors, it might be a good idea to do a psychophysical examination.