title: Prevalence of depression and anxiety among patients with epilepsy attending the epilepsy clinic at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, UAE: A cross-sectional study.
abstract: Depression and anxiety are highly prevalent in patients with epilepsy (PWE), with prevalence rates ranging from 20% to 55%. Unfortunately, the rates, patterns, and risk factors have not been well studied in the Middle East and, to our knowledge, have not been studied at all in the UAE. We screened 186 patients attending an epilepsy clinic using standardized screening tools to determine the rates of both depression and anxiety and compared these rates with that of age- and sex-matched controls. Almost one-third of our patients scored in the depression and anxiety ranges, which was significantly higher compared with the age- and sex-matched controls. Using a multiregression model, none of the studied variables were associated with an increased risk of having either disorder. Depression or anxiety symptoms independently and significantly increased the risk of association with the other disorder. Almost two-thirds of patients with depression and anxiety were not prescribed antidepressant or antianxiety medications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Electronic address: talsadi@skmc.ae.
authors.forename: Taoufik
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alsaadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Khadija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: El Hammasi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Tarek M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Shahrour
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shakra
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Lamya
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Turkawi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Buthaina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Almaskari
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Diab
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Mufeed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raoof
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D012640:Seizures / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants
keywords: Depression; Epilepsy; Generalized Anxiety Disorder seven-item (GAD-7) scale; Patient Health Questionnaire nine-item (PHQ-9) depression scale; Screening