Depression but not seizure factors or quality of life predicts suicidality in epilepsy.
The objective of this study was to determine prevalence and predictive risk factors of suicidality in a large sample of epilepsy outpatients. We prospectively examined 193 consecutive adult epilepsy outpatients for depression, including suicidal ideation. Demographic and epilepsy factors, medication toxicity and health-related quality of life were also evaluated. The prevalence of suicidal ideation within the past two weeks was 11.9%. Although medication toxicity, health-related quality of life and BDI scores were each associated with suicidal ideation in the bivariate analyses, only the BDI remained significant in the logistic regression analysis. About one-fourth of the subjects with suicidal ideation had no significant symptoms of depression. Recent thoughts of suicide are a common occurrence in the outpatient epilepsy clinic setting, but these are not predicted by gender, age, seizure factors, medication toxicity or self-perceived quality of life. Although depression is associated with suicidal ideation, about one-fourth of the suicidal subjects were euthymic or only mildly depressed.
Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia. hecimovic@inet.hr
H
H
Hecimovic
J M
JM
Santos
J
J
Carter
H P
HP
Attarian
A J
AJ
Fessler
V
V
Vahle
F
F
Gilliam
D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012640:Seizures / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000927:Anticonvulsants