Objective:

To evaluate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among persons with epilepsy (PWE) compared to controls without epilepsy.

Approach:

• Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: The analysis included 27 studies with 565,443 PWE and 13,434,208 controls, utilizing data from various databases up to February 2024.

Key Findings:

• Depression was nearly 2.5 times more common in PWE (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.94-3.09).
• Anxiety disorders were twice as likely in PWE (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.73-2.58).
• Elevated odds of bipolar disorder (OR, 3.12; 95% CI, 2.23-4.36) and psychotic disorders (OR, 3.98; 95% CI, 2.57-6.15) were found.
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had an OR of 10.67 (95% CI, 6.35-17.91) in PWE.
• Substance use disorders were significantly more prevalent in PWE (OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.61-4.72), with alcohol misuse (OR, 3.64; 95% CI, 2.27-5.83) and dependence (OR, 4.94; 95% CI, 3.50-6.96).
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was present in 13% of PWE compared to 3.4% of controls (OR, 3.93; 95% CI, 3.80-4.08).
• Suicidal ideation was significantly elevated in PWE (OR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.75-2.88).

Interpretation:

Limitations:

• No studies from African or Eastern Mediterranean regions were included.
• The review had no restrictions on language or publication date, which may affect the quality of included studies.

Conclusion:

Sources:

• JAMA Neurology