Depression And Anxiety Are Common In Adults With Epilepsy

What was studied

This paper reviewed recent research on depression and anxiety in adults with epilepsy. The authors searched five databases for studies published from 2018 to 2024 and included observational studies that used validated tools to assess depression and/or anxiety symptoms or diagnoses.

In total, 54 studies were included in the review. For the pooled analysis, the authors combined 12 cross-sectional studies on depressive symptoms involving 3,866 adults with epilepsy and 14 cross-sectional studies on anxiety symptoms involving 4,321 adults with epilepsy.

What they found

When the authors combined the cross-sectional screening studies, about 40% of adults with epilepsy screened positive for depressive symptoms and about 36% screened positive for anxiety symptoms. Across the included studies, these symptoms were frequently associated with female sex, taking multiple anti-seizure medicines, temporal lobe epilepsy, and higher seizure frequency. Drug-resistant epilepsy and poor seizure control were also commonly reported.

Limits of the evidence

This study mainly shows how common depression and anxiety symptoms were in the included studies; it cannot show that epilepsy or any specific epilepsy feature caused these mental health problems. The pooled results came from cross-sectional studies, which capture one point in time. There was also very high variation between studies, so the exact percentages may differ across settings, patient groups, and screening tools. The abstract does not give detailed information about all countries, clinics, or symptom severity, so it is hard to know how well the results apply to every adult with epilepsy.

For families and caregivers

For families, this review suggests that depression and anxiety symptoms are common in adults with epilepsy. The abstract also notes that these conditions adversely affect adherence, quality of life, and seizure control. It supports the idea that mental health should be checked as part of epilepsy care. This does not mean every person with epilepsy will have these problems, but it does mean mood and anxiety symptoms are important to notice and bring up with the care team.

What to watch next

Longer-term studies could help clarify how depression and anxiety symptoms relate to epilepsy features over time and whether systematic screening and integrated mental health care are linked with better patient outcomes.

Terms in this summary

systematic review

A study that collects and summarizes relevant research on a question using a planned method.

meta-analysis

A method that combines results from several studies to estimate an overall result.

observational study

A study where researchers observe what happens without assigning treatments.

cross-sectional

Looking at people at one point in time rather than following them over time.

validated instrument

A questionnaire or tool that has been tested to measure a symptom or condition in a reliable way.

polytherapy

Using more than one anti-seizure medicine at the same time.

temporal lobe epilepsy

A type of epilepsy where seizures start in the temporal lobe of the brain.

drug-resistant epilepsy

Epilepsy that does not come under good control after trying appropriate anti-seizure medicines.