Psychiatric Comorbidities in People With Epilepsy
Marco Mula1, Andres M Kanner1, Nathalie Jetté1
1Institute of Medical and Biomedical Education (MM), St George's University of London and the Atkinson Morley Regional Neuroscience Centre, St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Department of Neurology (AMK), Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and Epilepsy Division, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, FL; Division of Epilepsy and Division of Health Outcomes and Knowledge Translation Research (NJ), Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York; NIHR UCL Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre (JWS), UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, and Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy, Chalfont St Peter, United Kingdom; and Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland-SEIN (JWS), Heemstede, the Netherlands.
Purpose Of Review:
To review the latest evidence concerning the epidemiology, clinical implications, and management of psychiatric disorders in epilepsy.
Recent Findings:
People with epilepsy have a 2-5 times increased risk of developing any psychiatric disorder, and 1 in 3 patients with epilepsy have a lifetime psychiatric diagnosis. Psychiatric comorbidities represent a poor prognostic marker as they have been associated with a poor response to treatment (drugs and surgery), increased morbidity, and mortality. Validated screening instruments are available for mood and anxiety disorders in adults as well as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children with epilepsy.
Summary:
All patients with epilepsy should be routinely screened for psychiatric disorder at the onset and at least once a year. Patients with epilepsy and their relatives should be informed of the risk of mental health problems and the implications.
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