간질 환자의 우울과 불안: 인구학적 요인 및
간질 관련 요인과의 관계

J Korean Neurol Assoc > Volume 27(4); 2009 > Article

Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 2009;27(4): 375-383.

Depression and Anxiety in the Epileptic Patients: the Association With Demographic and Seizure-Related Variables

허선희, 박현미

가천의과학대학교 의학전문대학원, 가천의과학대학교 길병원 신경과학교실a

간질 환자의 우울과 불안: 인구학적 요인 및 간질 관련 요인과의 관계

Seon-Hee Heo

Graduate School of Medicine, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Department of Neurology, Gachon University Gil Hospitala, Incheon, Korea

Abstract

Background: Depression and anxiety are common psychiatric symptoms in patients with epilepsy, exerting a profound negative effect on health-related quality of life. Several issues, however, pertaining to their association with psychosocial, seizure-related and medication factors, remain controversial. In the present study we have investigated the association of depression and anxiety with various demographic and seizure-related variables in patients with newly-diagnosed and chronic epilepsy.
Methods: We investigated 80 patients with epilepsy (46.3% males, mean age 36.1±11.4 years, range 18~64; mean disease duration, 13.4±12.2 years). Depression and anxiety were assessed in the interictal state with the Beck Depression Inventory, 21-item version (BDI-21) and the state and trait subscales of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S and STAI-T), respectively. The association of depression and anxiety with various variables was investigated using univariate analyses and multiple linear regression analyses.
Results: Duration of epilepsy, the number of side effects and the number of GABAergic anti-epileptic drugs were correlated with depression, together accounting for 25.1% of the variation of the BDI-21. The STAI-S index was significantly associated with occupation status and the number of GABAergic anti-epileptic drugs accounting for 27.4% of the variation of the STAI-S. Finally, the number of side effects was correlated with trait anxiety.
Conclusions: Our study shows that the duration of epilepsy, occupation status, GABAergic anti-epileptic drugs and the number of side effects are risk factors for the development of depression and/or anxiety. Key Words: Epilepsy, Depression, Anxiety