Depressive disorders in patients with pharmaco-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

Objectives To assess depressive disorders in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) refractory to medical treatment. Methods Adult patients with refractory MTLE completed two questionnaires (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) had...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Eleonora Borges Gonçalves, Tania Aparecida Marchiori de Oliveira Cardoso, Clarissa Lin Yasuda, Fernando Cendes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2018-02-01
Series:Journal of International Medical Research
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/0300060517717825
Description
Summary:Objectives To assess depressive disorders in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) refractory to medical treatment. Methods Adult patients with refractory MTLE completed two questionnaires (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) had a semi-structured psychiatric interview and a high resolution MRI scan. For complete neuropsychiatric diagnosis, as per International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), the results were combined with clinical history and additional information from the patients’ family. Results Of the 40 patients identified for this case series study which took place from 2008–2012, 31 (77.5%) had a depressive disorder: 14 had dysthymia, 11 had recurrent depressive disorder and 6 had bipolar disorder. Of the nine patients without a firm diagnosis of mood disorder, seven had isolated symptoms of depression or anxiety and two presented with mixed depression/anxiety symptoms. Only 8/31 (25.8%) patients were receiving antidepressant treatment. There was no association between BDI scores and seizure frequency. No significant difference was found between patients with and without depression and the presence or laterality of HA. Conclusions Depressive disorders are common, underdiagnosed and undertreated in patients with refractory MTLE.
ISSN:0300-0605
1473-2300