Depression in patients with epilepsy: experience in a private hospital in Argentina

Depression is the most frequent psychiatric disorder in patients with epilepsy, with an estimated prevalence between 35% and 60%, associated with poorer control of epileptic seizures. Despite the high prevalence of depression, many patients are not diagnosed, presenting a worse clinical course and quality of life. There are no prevalence studies in our population. The main objective was to determinate the prevalence of depression in epilepsy and its relationship with seizure control. Materials and methods: It is a prospective, descriptive and cross-sectional study of a cohort of patients who underwent the Depression Inventory in Patients with Neurological Disorders for Epilepsy (NDDI-E) and the data from the medical records were analyzed. Results: A total of 121 patients were inluded, and the prevalence of depression was 43% (n:52), of whom 77% were women (p = 0.01). A 63% of patients with depression was diagnosed in this study. Most of them with good seizure control (70%) did not present depression, while the majority of those with poor (57%) and regular (63%) seizure control presented depression (p < 0.001). Discussion: Comorbidity between depression and epilepsy is highly prevalent, negatively influencing the control of epileptic seizures. Most patients are underdiagnosed. Screening for major depression in patients with epilepsy is necessary, contributing to the clinical improvement.