Cross-Sectional Study to Access Proportion of Depression Anxiety and Quality of Life in Patients with Seizure Disorder in a Tertiatry Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: Seizure disorder is a chronic condition marked by repeated, frequently unpredictable seizures that might interfere with daily activities as usual. At least one-third of people with active epilepsy experience severe emotional well-being impairment. According to a few authors’ studies, the lifetime prevalence of depression in people with epilepsy might reach up to 55%. In fact, it is widely known that patients with epilepsy and depression have a higher rate of suicide than the overall population. In studies of epilepsy conducted in hospitals and in communities, inter-ictal anxiety disorders were found to be prevalent between 10 and 25 percent of the time. In various studies, the prevalence of anxiety ranges from 15% to 27%, and that of depression from 9% to 55%. More research is required to close this information gap regarding the incidence of these symptoms. Therefore, it is important to assess these psychiatric problems in seizure disorder in order to make an early diagnosis, initiate treatment, and improve the quality of life for the patient. Aims: 1. To determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression in seizure disorder. 2. To assess the quality of life in patients with seizure disorder. Method: IPD/OPD patients in Bangalore’s Sapthagiri Institute of Medical Sciences’ department of psychiatry. We determined a sample size of 100 and took into account inclusion criteria of patients aged between 18 and 65 years, patients with seizure disorder, and exclusion criteria of patients who refused to give written informed consent. It is a cross sectional descriptive study with a study period of 1.5 years in a tertiary care hospital. severe intellectual handicap, psychotic problems, active acute medical conditions, and extensive history of neurosurgery. Results: There were 100 participants, with a mean age of 30.16 years for women and 33.63 years for men. 27% of people displayed medium to severe anxiety, whereas 21% displayed mild to moderate depression. Anxiety and depression were shown to be more common in females, unmarried people, those from metropolitan backgrounds, and people with partial epilepsy. Those with partial epilepsy had significantly (p-0.020*) more anxiety than patients with generalised epilepsy. Significant correlations between QOL and seizure frequency were also found.