Mental retardation, mental illness, and seizure diagnosis

The coexistence of epilepsy in individuals with mental retardation and mental illness is common. Little is known about whether individuals with all three conditions do significantly worse on inpatient units compared to persons with mental retardation and psychiatric disorder but without a seizure diagnosis. During 62 consecutive months, 247 individuals with mental retardation and psychiatric disorders were discharged from a university hospital. A review of discharge summaries yielded 39 individuals with a seizure diagnosis. The only difference between the groups with and without seizures was level of mental retardation. No differences existed with regard to length of stay, transfer to state hospital, psychiatric co-morbidity, or medical illness. Although it is sometimes difficult for many individuals with mental retardation to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital during exacerbations of mental illness, they should not be further stigmatized by presence of a seizure diagnosis.