Epilepsy and Risk for Psychiatric Disorders and Suicidality

A bidirectional association between psychiatric disorders and epilepsy has been suggested (JW Psychiatry Mar 26 2012). Researchers in the U.K. conducted a longitudinal, industry-supported study to examine this relationship in 3773 patients who were diagnosed with epilepsy and received at least two antiepileptic prescriptions close to the diagnosis date and in 14,025 participants without epilepsy (age range, 10–60).

The researchers examined the occurrence of new psychiatric diagnoses, including suicidality, in the 3 years before and the 3 years after the diagnosis of epilepsy (index date). Both before and after the index date, the incident rate ratio was significantly greater in the epilepsy group for psychiatric disorders overall, psychosis,…