Citation

de Oliveira GN, Kummer A, Salgado JV, Filho GM, David AS, Teixeira AL. Epilepsy Behav. 2011; 22(4): 745-749.

Affiliation

Neuropsychiatric Unit, Neurology Division, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Epilepsy Treatment Advanced Centre (NATE), Felicio Rocho Hospital, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.yebeh.2011.09.004

PMID

22018800

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the work described here was to measure the role of psychopathological features, specifically impulsivity and depression, in suicidality in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). METHODS: Neuropsychiatric evaluation of 66 outpatients with TLE was performed with the following instruments: a structured clinical interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. RESULTS: A current Axis I psychiatric diagnosis, mainly mood and anxiety disorders, was assigned to 37 subjects (56.1%) Presence of suicide risk was identified in 19 patients (28.8%), and 14 (21.2%) had attempted suicide. Frequency of seizures (P=0.012), current major depression (P=0.001), and motor impulsivity (P=0.005) were associated with suicide risk on univariate analysis. Logistic regression stressed the main relevance of major depression (OR=12.82, 95% CI=2.58-63.76, P=0.002) and motor impulsivity (OR=1.21, 95% CI=1.06-1.38, P=0.005) to suicide risk. CONCLUSION: Depression has a major influence on suicidality in epilepsy. Motor impulsivity is also relevant and may be an important component of depression in TLE associated with suicide risk.

Language: en