Prevalence of Depression in Patients with Epilepsy: A Single Center Cross-sectional Study at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Depression in persons with epilepsy (PWE) negatively impacts the quality of life (QOL), increasing suicidal risk and increasing healthcare costs. Aim: To assess the prevalence of depression in recently diagnosed PWE and the impact of seizure variables on depression. Study design: A prospective study of recently diagnosed epilepsy patients attending a tertiary hospital in government Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital. Materials and methods: Recently diagnosed epilepsy patients (n = 100) were administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) translated into local vernacular language for quantitative assessment of depression. Statistical analysis: Chi-squared test and logistic regression analysis were used to assess the impact of seizure-related variables on BDI scores (p < 0.05 was considered significant). Results: Using the BDI, the prevalence of depressive symptoms in PWE was 48%. A strong correlation coefficient of 0.8 was obtained on the PWE scores on both scales, demonstrating their effectiveness in detecting depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Depression was more common in PWE than in the general population. Depression may be seen even before the onset of epilepsy in some patients, thereby hinting at a probable similar mechanism. Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and major depressive disorder show changes in serotonergic 5-hydroxytryptophan (5HT) 1A receptor density in their brains, as observed using positron emission tomography. It is crucial to promptly identify and manage depression in newly diagnosed epilepsy patients, along with administering appropriate antiepileptic drugs.