title: Co-morbidity of depression and epilepsy in Jimma University specialized hospital, Southwest Ethiopia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Depression is a serious and frequent co-morbid illness among people with epilepsy (PWE) and the risk for depression in PWE is higher than the general population. However, depression among PWE is often under diagnosed and treated by physicians other than psychiatrists in resource-limited settings like Ethiopia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed at assessing the prevalence and factors associated with depression and its implication for treatment among PWE in Southwest Ethiopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was facilitated among 300 adult subjects diagnosed with epilepsy at the Jimma University Specialized Hospital (JUSH) from August to October 2012. Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scale which was found to have Cronbach's Alpha of 0.82 for this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 300 adult subjects with epilepsy were interviewed making a response rate of 100%. The prevalence of depressive disorder among patient with epilepsy was 49.3%. Of these, 39.9%, 38.5%, and 21.6% of the patient were found to have mild, moderate, and severe depression, respectively. Epilepsy-related perceived stigma, high seizure frequency, and low educational status were found to be independent predictors of depression among subjects with epilepsy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, depression was found to be highly prevalent. Early recognition and treatment of depression through routine screening and assessment of PWE should become an essential part of diagnosis and treatment protocol.
authors.forename: Hagos
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsegabrhan
authors.forename: Alemayehu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Negash
authors.forename: Kenfe
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tesfay
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Mubarek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abera
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult