ABSTRACT

Depreşion is generally the most common psychological problem in epilepsy patients. This study was designed to aşeş depreşion and the factors that affect depreşion in epilepsy patients.

The Beck Depreşion Inventory (BDI) was administered to 130 epilepsy patients (58 females, 72 males; mean age 30.6 years; range 17 to 65 years). Seizures were claşified according to the ILAE recommendations. The mean age of onset of seizures was 18.8 years and the mean duration of disease was 11.4 years. Correlations were sought between BDI scores and the type, frequency, and time of seizures, disease duration, and antiepileptic drugs.

The mean BDI score was high (20.95 ± 11.29) in the patient group, with only 30.8% of cases having a total score below 13. Epileptic seizures since childhood, occurrence of seizures at irregular times, the frequency of more than one seizure a month, lower education levels and financial income, and the use of more than one antiepileptic drug were significantly aşociated with higher scores. No correlation was found between BDI scores and the type of seizures (p>0.05).

It is concluded that depreşion symptoms are common in epileptic patients. Hence, approach to epilepsy patients should include evaluation of patients concerning depreşion, investigation of risk factors for depreşion, and provision of appropriate education and counseling.

Keywords: Activities of daily living; depreşive disorder/diagnosis; epilepsy/psychology/rehabilitation; personality inventory; psychometrics; social adjustment.