P163: Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety in Epileptic Patients

Anxiety and depression are very common in population and occur in a wide range of clinical states and is very common in epileptic patients. Many recent epidemiological studies have found a high prevalence of depression and anxiety in epileptic patients. These studies found that epileptic patients suffered from depression and anxiety than those without epilepsy. The prevalence of depression or anxiety is higher in drug refractory epilepsy, especially temporal-lobe epilepsy. Depression and anxiety have been associated with increased adverse events in response to anti-epileptic drugs in epileptic patients. Structural abnormalities, monoamine pathways, cerebral glucose metabolism, the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and interleukin-1β all plays a crucial role in the common pathogenesis of these conditions. Studies that have examined depressed patients using high-resolution brain MRI have shown reductions in the volumes of various areas, including the frontal, temporal, limbic regions and hippocampus (the left and right hippocampus in temporal-lobe epilepsy and depression). Findings of reductions in hippocampal volume suggest that depression and epilepsy reflect common structural abnormalities. The symptoms of depressive disorders in epileptic patients can be classified according to their temporal relationship with seizures. The psychiatric and clinical effects of depression and anxiety can impair the quality of life of epileptic patients. Therefore, early detection and management of depression and anxiety are critical for the management of epileptic patients.