癫痫患儿的焦虑情绪及影响因素分析

目的 观察癫痫患儿的焦虑状态,并探讨患儿的性别、抑郁、个性情况以及监护人的焦虑、抑郁和个性等对患儿焦虑状态的影响.方法 采用儿童社交焦虑量表(SASC)、儿童抑郁自评量表(DSRS)、焦虑自评量表(SAS)、Beck抑郁自评问卷(BDI)以及儿童和成人艾森克个性问卷(EPQ)对95例癫痫患儿及其监护人的焦虑、抑郁、个性的3个维度进行评分,同时与对照组118例儿童的焦虑状态进行比较.结果 癫痫患儿SASC得分较对照组儿童高,癫痫组女童较男童得分高,患儿各年龄段的焦虑水平随年龄增长而增高,13～15岁癫痫组儿童得分较同年龄段对照组高,差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05).癫痫组SASC得分与DSRS、儿童EPQN、P量表得分呈正相关,与E量表得分呈负相关;与监护人SAS得分呈正相关,与监护人EPQ E量表得分呈负相关;而与监护人BDI以及EPQP、N量表得分之间无相关关系.监护人文化程度相同时,癫痫组和对照组SASC得分差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05);监护人文化程度不同时,癫痫组SASC得分差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).监护人职业相同时,癫痫组和对照组SASC得分差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05);监护人职业不同时,癫痫组SASC得分差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).患儿发作形式、影像学表现及病程不同时,患儿SASC得分差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).结论 癫痫患儿的焦虑水平较正常儿童升高,且与患儿的性别、年龄、患儿和监护人的焦虑或抑郁水平及某些个性特征相关,而与患儿的发作形式、影像学表现、病程长短、监护人的职业和文化程度无关.     

Anxiety and depressive symptoms in children presenting with a first seizure

We investigated whether children presenting with a first seizure experienced anxiety and depressive signs. Children (aged 7-17 years) with a first unprovoked afebrile seizure participated. These patients (mean age, 12 +/- 2.7 years S.D.; 14 female/8 male) completed the Revised Child Manifest Anxiety Scale (n = 22) and Children's Depression Inventory (n = 20). Scores were compared with: (1) published norms, and (2) control patients with new medical signs. Compared with the published norms, children reported greater total anxiety (P < 0.02), worry/oversensitivity (P < 0.008), and social concerns/concentration (P < 0.005). However, compared with the control patients, no difference was seen between groups. Total Children's Depression Inventory scores were higher than for published norms (P = 0.05) and control patients (P = 0.04). Children with a first seizure reported greater interpersonal problems (P < 0.01), ineffectiveness (P < 0.03), and negative self-esteem (P < 0.05) than published norms, and increased negative mood (P = 0.04), ineffectiveness (P = 0.04), anhedonia (P = 0.05), and negative self-esteem (P = 0.05) than control patients. Our results suggest that anxiety may be related to an illness or to the hospital experience itself, whereas depressive signs may be a comorbidity present at time of presentation of the first seizure. If a larger cohort substantiates these results, early screening for these signs would be of clinical importance.     

Relationship of hypersensitivity to anxiety and depression in children with high-functioning pervasive developmental disorders

Aims:  Sensory–perceptual abnormalities, which include hyper- and hyposensitivity, have been identified by numerous researchers as prevalent in individuals with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). Hypersensitivity has a greater impact on PDD patients' daily lives than hyposensitivity. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the relationship of hypersensitivity to anxiety, depression and other psychopathology in children with PDD.
Methods:  Sixty-four children were divided into a hypersensitivity group (HG; n  = 43) and a non-hypersensitivity group (non-HG; n  = 21), and compared for anxiety, depression and other psychopathology on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), State–Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI).
Results:  The HG group had significantly higher scores than the non-HG group in Total, Internalizing, and Somatic complaints on the CBCL. On STAIC, the mean sore of Total Score, State Score and Trait Score in the HG group tended to be higher than in the non-HG group, but the difference was not significant. The score on the CDI in the HG group was significantly higher than that in the non-HG group.
Conclusion:  PDD children with hypersensitivity have more serious psychopathologies, especially internalizing symptoms including depression.     

Psychosocial adjustment of epilepsy patients in Cyprus

This study investigated aspects of psychosocial adjustment in epilepsy patients in Cyprus. Sixty-three patients under 55years of age with idiopathic or symptomatic epilepsy and 89 neurologically matched healthy volunteers participated. Subjects completed the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory; patients with epilepsy also completed the Epilepsy Foundation Concerns Index. Results showed that patients with symptomatic epilepsy had significantly higher scores on state and trait anxiety and depressive symptoms. Sociodemographic characteristics including gender, marital status, and education levels contributed to differences in trait and state anxiety, depressive symptom scales, autonomy concerns, and fear for seizure recurrence. Variables such as poor seizure control and use of polytherapy were associated with lower adjustment scores and reduced psychosocial outcome. Finally, patients with epilepsy scored significantly higher on depression and anxiety symptoms. The results provide further evidence on challenges patients with epilepsy face and on the need for implementing psychosocial prevention programs.     

Anxiety and depression in children with epilepsy and their mothers

OBJECTIVE: Children with epilepsy have high rates of depression and anxiety. The majority of studies concentrate on the children with epilepsy, but the emotional impact of epilepsy on family members is of clinical concern. In this cross-sectional study we aimed to examine the association between epilepsy in childhood and adolescence, and anxiety and depression in these patients and their mothers. METHODS: We studied 35 children and adolescents with seizures (age range, 7-19 years), 35 gender-matched healthy controls (age range, 8-17) who did not have any chronic medical illness, and mothers of these individuals (n=70) in a cross-sectional analysis. We administered the Kovac Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIc) to the children. We administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to the mothers of these children. Pearson correlations were used to analyze dependence between variables, and Student's t test was used to compare mean values between test scores. RESULTS: Patients with epilepsy had higher CDI scores (mean+/-SD, 12.48+/-6.35) than controls (9.31+/-5.11) (P<0.05), whereas the STAIc scores did not differ between cases (34.03+/-8.29) and controls (35.20+/-6.23) (P<0.05). Mothers of children with epilepsy did not have more depression or anxiety symptoms than mothers of children without epilepsy as measured by BDI and STAI scores (P>0.05). There was no correlation between mothers' scores and patients' or controls' scores. CONCLUSIONS: These results support findings from previous studies that children and adolescents with epilepsy have a higher frequency of depressive but not anxiety symptoms than the general population of healthy children and that this is independent of their mothers' symptoms.     

Depression in adults with epilepsy: Relationship to psychobiological variables

AIM: To characterize the relationship between depression and epilepsy-related seizures, treatment, hormonal and biological variables. METHODS: Included were 200 Egyptian adults (male = 100, female = 100) with epilepsy (mean age: 30.87 ± 7.88 years; duration of illness: 13.89 ± 7.64 years) and 100 healthy matched subjects for comparison. Psychiatric interview, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) were used to assess depression and anxiety. Blood levels of free testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, prolactin, free thyroxin and thyroid stimulating hormone, serotonin, noradrenaline and adrenaline neurotransmitters were measured to assess endocrine and biological states. RESULTS: Patients had higher rates of depressive disorder (25.5% or 51/200), mostly intermixed with anxiety (47.06%), psychotic features (19.61%), aggression (40%) and suicide (55%). Compared to controls, higher scores on the BDI-II were observed with right-sided epileptic foci (P = 0.011), polytherapy (P = 0.001) and lack of control on antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) (P = 0.0001). Patients had lower levels of serotonin (P = 0.001) [marked with depression (P = 0.012)] and adrenaline (P = 0.0001), while noradrenaline was lower with temporal lobe epilepsy (P = 0.039), left-sided foci (P = 0.047) and lack of control on AEDs (P = 0.017). Negative correlations were observed between levels of serotonin and BDI-II (P = 0.048) and HAM-A (P = 0.009) scores, but not with AEDs dose or drug level. CONCLUSION: Comorbid depressive disorder with epilepsy appears to be closely related to seizure type, focus, side, intractability to medications and neurotransmitter changes. Thus, optimizing seizure control and early recognition and management of depression is necessary to improve patients’ quality of life.     

Maternal anxiety: course and antecedents during the early postpartum period

The early course and antecedents of postpartum anxiety are unknown. This study sought to determine the course and antecedents of maternal anxiety during the first month postpartum and to develop a model to predict 1-month anxiety using information obtainable before perinatal hospital discharge. Two hundred and ninety-six mothers were screened before discharge with the State (SS) and Trait (TS) Scales of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Demographic characteristics were assessed by questionnaire and medical record review, and psychiatric history, measures of perinatal stress, and resilient factors were determined by focused questions and formal instruments. At 1-month postpartum, the SS was repeated. Scores on the SS were significantly higher at 1 month than immediately postpartum (35.30+/-0.68 versus 33.38+/-0.60, mean+/-standard error, P=.004), but only 58.6% of mothers with high pre-discharge anxiety had high anxiety at 1 month. One-month anxiety correlated with pre-discharge SS and TS scores, a history of psychiatric problems including depressed mood, medical and negative social life events, lack of pregnancy planning and prenatal class attendance, perceived peripartum stress, and duration of postpartum hospital stay. Inverse correlations were observed with education, household income, and resiliency factors. In multivariate modeling, anxiety trait, education, history >or=2 years of depression, and perception of peripartum stress accounted for 50% of the variance in the 1-month SS score. Maternal anxiety increases during the first postpartum month. Women with high trait anxiety, low education, a history of depressed mood, and a perception of high peripartum stress are at risk for experiencing anxiety at this time.     

Neuropsychological profiles and outcomes in children with new onset frontal lobe epilepsy

Frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) is the second most frequent type of localization-related epilepsy, and it may impact neurocognitive functioning with high variability. The prevalence of neurocognitive impairment in affected children remains poorly defined.This report outlines the neuropsychological profiles and outcomes in children with new onset FLE, and the impact of epilepsy-related factors, such as seizure frequency and antiepileptic drug (AED) load, on the neurocognitive development.Twenty-three consecutive children (15 males and 8 females) with newly diagnosed cryptogenic FLE were enrolled; median age at epilepsy onset was 7 years (6–9.6 years). They underwent clinical and laboratory evaluation and neuropsychological assessment before starting AED treatment (time 0) and after one year of treatment (time 1).Twenty age-matched patients affected by idiopathic generalized epilepsy (10 male and 10 females) and eighteen age-matched healthy subjects (9 males and 9 females) were enrolled as controls and underwent the same assessment.All patients with FLE showed a significant difference in almost all assessed cognitive domains compared with controls, mainly in frontal functions and memory. At time 1, patients were divided into two groups according to epilepsy-related factors: group 1 (9 patients) with persisting seizures despite AED polytherapy, and group 2 (14 patients) with good seizure control in monotherapy. A significant difference was highlighted in almost all subtests in group 1 compared with group 2, both at time 0 and at time 1.In children with FLE showing a broad range of neurocognitive impairments, the epilepsy-related factors mostly related to a worse neurocognitive outcome are poor seizure control and the use of AED polytherapy, suggesting that epileptic discharges may have a negative impact on the functioning of the involved cerebral regions.     

坦度螺酮治疗癫痫伴焦虑、抑郁效果的系统评价

目的 系统评价坦度螺酮治疗癫痫伴焦虑、抑郁的临床效果及安全性。方法 计算机检索PubMed、Cochrane、Science Direct、Embase、维普、万方和中国知网等数据库，检索时间为从建库至 2018年8月，收集坦度螺酮治疗癫痫合并焦虑抑郁的随机对照试验，应用Rev Man 5.3软件进行Meta分析。结果 共纳入6个随机对照试验，包含462例。Meta分析结果显示:坦度螺酮显著降低汉密尔顿焦虑 量表评分（SMD=-1.01；95% CI:-1.91~-0.11；P=0.03），显著降低汉密尔顿抑郁量表评分（SMD=-1.57；95% CI:-2.42~-0.72；P=0.001），显著降低副反应发生率（OR=0.43；95% CI:0.22~0.82； P=0.01），显著增加有效率（OR=3.31；95% CI:1.97~5.56；P<0.001）。结论 坦度螺酮治疗癫痫伴焦虑抑郁具有显著的临床效果及较好的药物安全性。     

Continuous midazolam versus diazepam infusion for refractory convulsive status epilepticus

The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of continuous midazolam and diazepam infusion for the control of refractory status epilepticus. An open-label, randomized control study was undertaken at the Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care Service of a multidisciplinary teaching and referral hospital. Subjects included 40 children, 2 to 12 years of age, with refractory status epilepticus (motor seizures uncontrolled after two doses of diazepam, 0.3 mg/kg per dose, and phenytoin infusion, 20 mg/kg). Either continuous midazolam (n = 21) or diazepam infusion (n = 19) in incremental doses was administered. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of children in each group with successful control of refractory status epilepticus. The secondary outcome measure was the time to control seizure activity, recurrence of seizure after initial control, if any, the frequency of hypotension, and the need for ventilation. The two groups were similar in age (mean +/- SD = 4.9 +/- 43.6 months) and etiology. Twenty-three (57.5%) patients had acute central nervous system infection. Refractory status epilepticus was controlled in 18 (86%) and 17 (89%) patients in the midazolam and diazepam groups, respectively (P = not significant). The median time to seizure control was 16 minutes in both groups, but in the midazolam group, seizures recurred in more children (57% versus 16% in diazepam group; P < .05). The maximum dose (mean +/- SD) of midazolam and diazepam required was 5.3 +/- 2.6 microg/kg/min and 0.04 +/- 0.02 mg/kg/min, respectively. About half of the patients needed mechanical ventilation and 40% had hypotension in both groups, but the mortality was higher in the midazolam group (38%) as compared to the diazepam group (10.5%, P < .1 > .05). Continuous midazolam and diazepam infusions were equally effective for control of refractory status epilepticus. However, midazolam was associated with more seizure recurrence and higher mortality in refractory status epilepticus predominantly caused by central nervous system infections.     

Depression and anxiety before and after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.

PURPOSE: To examine the course of depression and anxiety in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) treated with epilepsy surgery (and anticonvulsant drugs) or medical means alone. METHODS: Of 94 TLE patients evaluated for epilepsy surgery, 76 underwent a resective procedure, 18 continued on medical treatment alone. Depression (Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)) and anxiety scores (Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SRAS)) were examined during presurgical evaluation (T1) and after a mean of 16 months (T2), or 12 months after surgery. Depression and anxiety scores were related to type of intervention, underlying epileptogenic lesion, change of seizure control and anticonvulsant therapy. RESULTS: At T1, depression and anxiety scores were higher in patients with TLE than scores in published normal populations. At T2, depression but not anxiety scores were significantly lower than at T1. Change of depression scores interacted with improvements of seizure control. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence of depression and anxiety is commonly found in patients with TLE. Depression improves not because of epilepsy surgery per se, but because of improved seizure control. This is more commonly achieved by surgery than medical treatment. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that depression in TLE is caused by pathological epileptic activity rather than a fixed structural defect.     

Alexithymia and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Following Epileptic Seizure

This study investigated (1) the incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder following epileptic seizure (post-epileptic seizure PTSD) and psychiatric co-morbidity and (2) the extent to which alexithymia traits related to the severity of the preceding outcomes. Seventy-one people with epilepsy participated in the study and completed the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. The control group comprised 71 people without epilepsy who completed the HADS. Fifty-one percent met the diagnostic criteria for full-PTSD; 30 % for partial-PTSD and 19 % for no-PTSD. The epilepsy group reported significantly more anxiety and depression than the control with demographic variables controlled for. Difficulty identifying feelings predicted post-epileptic seizure PTSD, anxiety and depression. It was positively correlated with post-epileptic seizure PTSD and depression, while it was negatively correlated with anxiety. People can develop PTSD and psychiatric co-morbid symptoms following epileptic seizures. The severity of these symptoms was related to difficulty in identifying internal feelings and emotions.     

中老年抑郁症患者执行功能障碍及其与血清脑源性神经营养因子的关系

目的探讨中老年抑郁症患者执行功能及其与血清脑源性神经营养因子(BDNF)的关系,为了解中老年抑郁症患者执行功能及生化指标的变化提供理论基础。方法选取2014年6月-2015年1月在贵州医科大学附属医院心理科住院的、符合《精神障碍诊断与统计手册(第4版)》(DSM-IV)抑郁症诊断标准的中老年住院患者78例(抑郁组),并于同期选取贵州医科大学附属医院职工、心理科患者家属80例(对照组),根据抑郁自评量表(SDS)评分将抑郁组分为轻中度抑郁组和重度抑郁组。采用执行功能行为评定量表成人版自评问卷(BRIEF-A)评定抑郁组和正常对照组的执行功能,包括行为管理指数(BRI)和元认知指数(MI)。采用生物素双抗体夹心酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)测定BDNF水平。结果抑郁组BRIEF-A总评分、BRI、MI及各因子评分均高于正常对照组(P均0.01);重度抑郁组的抑制、转移、工作记忆因子评分与轻中度抑郁组差异无统计学意义(P均0.05),而BRIEF-A总评分及其他因子评分均高于轻中度抑郁组(P均0.05)。中老年抑郁组BDNF水平低于正常对照组,重度抑郁组BDNF水平低于轻中度抑郁组(P均0.05)。执行功能总评分及各因子评分与BDNF水平的相关均无统计学意义(P均0.05)。结论与正常中老年人相比,中老年抑郁症患者执行功能明显受损,中老年抑郁组患者BDNF水平较低,且随抑郁程度加重而下降。抑郁症患者的执行功能和BDNF水平无明显相关性。     

Antiepileptic drug withdrawal in childhood: does the duration of tapering off matter for seizure recurrence?

There is no consensus on how long the duration of antiepileptic drug withdrawal after seizure control should be. The objective of the present study was to verify if the duration of tapering off matters for seizure recurrence in children with controlled epilepsy. In this prospective study, patients were randomized to taper the antiepileptic drug during a period of 1 or 6 months. Fifty-seven patients met the inclusion criteria; 24 were girls, and ages ranged from 2 to 16 years (mean 9.45 years). There was no difference between the two groups according to age, gender, type of epileptic syndrome, electroencephalogram abnormality, and antiepileptic drug (P > .05). In the 1-month group, seizure recurred in 10 patients, as opposed to 12 patients in the 6-month group. The analysis of seizure recurrence in each group showed no difference (P > .05). We conclude that the duration of antiepileptic drug tapering off does not influence the risk of seizure recurrence in childhood.     

Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Pediatric Epilepsy Patients

Summary: Purpose: We assessed rates of symptoms of anxiety and depression among pediatric patients with epilepsy.
Methods: We administered the Revised Child Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and Child Depression Inventory (CDI) to 44 epilepsy patients aged 7–18 years (mean age 12.4 years). Demographic, socioeconomic, and epilepsy-related information was examined in relation to depression and anxiety scores.
Results: No patients had been previously identified to have depression or anxiety. However, 26% had significantly increased depression scores and 16% met critieria for significant anxiety symptomatology.
Conclusions: Symptoms of depression and anxiety are common among pediatric patients with epilepsy and appear to be overlooked by care providers.     

Interictal depression in epilepsy.

The relation between depression and epilepsy was evaluated in 96 epileptic out-patients. We found that 50% of epileptic patients fulfilled the DSM-IIIR criteria for depression. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Beck Self Depression Inventory and the Zung Anxiety Scale were also used in all patients. The patients with partial seizures with complex semiology (CPS) were more depressed than the patients with primary generalized epilepsy and with partial seizures with elementary semiology. A significant increase in the level of anxiety was also found in the group with CPS compared to the other two groups. No correlations were noted between severity of depression and duration of epilepsy, seizure frequency, socio-economic status, education, and family history of depressive illness. No relationship was observed between anticonvulsant drug levels and depression. We failed to confirm an association between side of epileptic lesion and severity of depression. We suggest that depression in epileptic patients does not represent a psychological reaction to a particular cognitive or physical impairment, but is in some way related to the type of epilepsy.     

Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with spinal cord injuries

Aim  To determine the levels of anxiety and depression in young people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and their associated factors and outcomes.
Method  Children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years at interview who had sustained SCI at least 1 year before the study were assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory, the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment, and a demographic questionnaire designed for the study.
Results  The 118 participants (61 males, 57 females) had a mean age of 12 years 4 months, SD 3y 1mo, range 7-17y. Mean age at injury was 5 years 11 months, SD 4y 11m, range 0-16y; 89 participants (75%) had paraplegia and 29 (25%) had tetraplegia. Fifty-seven (52%) had complete injuries and 52 (48%) had incomplete injuries according to the American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale. Thirteen participants (13%) reported significant symptoms of anxiety, and seven (6%) reported significant levels of depression, which were comparable to the normative population. Age, race, and sex were not associated with anxiety or depression, but participants with shorter duration of injury were more likely to be anxious, and those with less functional independence were more likely to be depressed. Only one dimension of participation was associated with anxiety and depression, but all aspects of quality of life were decreased among those with anxiety or depression.
Interpretation  The levels of anxiety and depression in young people with SCI are comparable to the normative range. When anxiety and depression occur they are associated with reduced levels of quality of life.     

Pilot study of anxiety and depression in prepubertal children

Early detection of anxiety and depression is important because of the relationship between these disorders, suicide and other problems (i.e. social, phobias, learning problems). This study screened prepubertal students in a school setting for symptoms of anxiety and depression using self-report measures (Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Children's Depression Inventory). Controls and children who scored high on measures of anxiety or depression or both were interviewed with their parents and were tested using the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (computer version) and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test. Initial results indicated that anxiety is more prevalent in prepubertal children than depression. The correlation between different diagnostic measurements used in this project was calculated. A correlation was found between low scores of self-esteem and high scores of anxiety and depression on self-reports. It is concluded that self-report measures are good screening tools.     

Risk factors predicting refractoriness in epileptic children with partial seizures

The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the risk factors associated with intractability to therapy in childhood epilepsy. Fifty children with intractable epilepsy as evidenced by at least 1 epileptic fit per month were included in the study group, whereas the control group consisted of children who did not experience any recurrent seizure for at least 1 year at the time of the study. A chi( 2) test was used to evaluate the relationship between the test variables for the 2 groups, and the estimated relative risk (odds ratio) for each variable was calculated. The risk factors were subsequently determined by logistic multiple regression analysis. Univariate analysis showed that mental retardation, neurological abnormality, neuroradiological abnormality, perinatal anoxia, neonatal convulsion, presence of status epilepticus, and symptomatic etiology were significant risk factors for the development of refractory epilepsy (P < .05). For multivariate logistic regression analysis, age at seizure onset, status epilepticus, mixed type of seizures, and history of frequent seizures (more than once a month) were all found to be significant and independent risk factors for refractory epilepsy, and the number of drugs used in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < .05). In line with these findings, it was concluded that children who present with epilepsy and have these risk factors should be referred to a center where epileptic surgery is carried out without delay.     

Research diagnostic criteria (RDC) mental disorder and self-reported symptoms in outpatients with complex partial seizures (CPS)

Fifteen outpatients with complex partial seizures (CPS) were investigated to assess the presence and severity of affective disorders, anxiety, and cognitive deficits. Forty percent of patients met the criteria for an affective disorder according to Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC). Patients scored significantly higher than controls on the Beck Depression Inventory (p less than 0.001), on the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (p less than 0.01, p less than 0.05), on the Symptom Questionnaire scales for anxiety (p less than 0.005), depression (p less than 0.01), and somatization (p less than 0.01). They also scored significantly lower than controls on the Mini-Mental State Examination for grading cognitive state (p less than 0.05). Epileptic patients with RDC diagnosis of depression reported significantly more symptoms of depression, anxiety, somatization, and less sociability and trustfulness than epileptic patients without concurrent mental disorders. Implications of these results are discussed.