Background: Anxiety may complicate epilepsy as is often the case out of the various psychiatric comorbidities patients can suffer from when they are suffering from epilepsy. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anxiety among patients that had epilepsy and also to examine the associated socio-demographic and clinical factors that are associated with and eventually predictive of this psychiatric comorbidity. Materials and Method: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study that involved the use of General Health Questionnaire, version 28 (GHQ-28) and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), which were used independently to investigate each of the 400 consecutive participants in this study over a period of 24 weeks. The diagnosis of epilepsy was based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD10) diagnostic criteria and all participants with anxiety were diagnosed using CIDI. A proforma Questionnaire was used to assess the socio-demographic and some clinical variables among patients. Logistic regression was done to determine the predictors of anxiety in the study participants. Results: When screened with GHQ-28, 71 people (17.8%) met criteria for caseness. When all the participants were examined using CIDI, 12 (3%) were diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. The variables found to be the predictors of anxiety were family history of psychiatric disorders (p = 0.045), fear of having seizure (p = 0.036) and GHQ caseness (p = 0.002).

Mental disorders are generally characterized by abnormal thoughts, perceptions and emotions. These abnormalities may make an informed consent more difficult to obtain from psychiatric patients. The implementation of drug trials is being threatened by the decline in its overall frequency generally, especially in Psychiatry. This foretells a dearth of major breakthroughs in pharmacotherapy for psychiatric patients if they are unwilling to present themselves for drug trials. Insight into patient's awareness and perception of drug trials will enhance the planning, design and implementation of drug trials among this vulnerable subpopulation. This was a cross-sectional study of one hundred patients attending the follow-up clinic of a tertiary psychiatric hospital. A proforma questionnaire to assess awareness and perception of drug trials was administered to participants. About half (51%) were aware of drug trials and 50% of the participants were not willing to participate in a drug trial. Sixty-five percent considered it highly risky to participate. Females were more likely to be unsure whether informed consent will be needed for drug trials. The married were more likely to be unaware of drug trials in clinical research. The unmarried were more likely to be informed about drug trials through the media. Findings are likely to have been influenced by the socio-cultural environment of this study setting. Drug trials among this population require an approach that will create an initial drug trial disorder-sensitive awareness and a design that will ensure that the consent process will take into cognizance the vulnerability of these patients; especially among females.

Psychosis may complicate epilepsy. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Psychosis among patients with epilepsy and to examine its socio-demographic and clinical correlates. This study was a descriptive crosssectional study that involved the use of General Health Questionnaire, version 28(GHQ-28) and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), which were used to investigate each of the 400 consecutive participants. The diagnosis of epilepsy was based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) diagnostic criteria and all participants with Psychosis were diagnosed using CIDI. A proforma Questionnaire was used to assess the socio-demographic and clinical variables among the participants. Logistic regression was done to determine the predictors of psychosis. Thirty-two participants (8%) were diagnosed as having psychosis. Unemployment and GHQ caseness were predictors of Psychosis among the participants (p=0.038, p=<0.001 respectively). The study showed the existence of Psychosis among patients with seizure disorder. This is an important association with seizure disorders which has implications on the course of the disorder. The assessment of these patients for this co-morbidity and identification of the factors that leads to unemployment among people with seizure disorder will enhance treatment outcome.

Background. Depression is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Its occurrence in patients living with epilepsy is not just common but also a serious comorbidity. Patients tend to suffer if the depressive disorder is undetected and thus untreated. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of depressive disorder in patients with epilepsy. Also, the sociodemographic and clinical factors that are associated with the development of depression in people living with epilepsy were examined. Materials and Method. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of participants living with epilepsy and receiving care at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria. Participants were recruited consecutively as they come for follow-up care. A sociodemographic/clinical questionnaire and General Health Questionnaire version 28 (GHQ-28) were first administered to participants followed by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). The descriptive statistics were generated and analyzed. Logistic regression was also done to determine the predictors of depression in the study participants. All test of probability was set at p<0.05. Results. A total of 400 participants with epilepsy were examined with GHQ-28 and CIDI. Out of the GHQ-28 examined individuals, 71 people (17.8%) met criteria for caseness while 35 participants (8.8%) were depressed when assessed with CIDI. The predictors of depressive illness in participants living with epilepsy were GHQ caseness (p≤0.001), minority ethnic group (p=0.006), and a positive family history of mental illness (p=0.021). Conclusion. Depression is common in people with epilepsy. Physicians should actively assess individuals with epilepsy for symptoms of depression. Special attention should be paid to patients with a family history of epilepsy and those from minority ethnic groups.