Bidirectional link between epilepsy and psychiatric disorders

The antidepressant sertraline prevents the behavioral and EEG changes induced in two animal models of seizures

“…Psychiatric disorders, particularly depression, represent frequent comorbidities in patients with epilepsy [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Nevertheless, the use of antidepressants in patients with epilepsy has been a controversial matter, as evidence suggests that antidepressants can facilitate the severity of seizures, particularly when used at high doses [7][8][9].…”

Comments on Jones JE et al. Rates and risk factors for suicide, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts in chronic epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior 2003;4(Suppl. 3):S31-38

“…A Danish study pointed out that the rate ratio of suicide in people with epilepsy remains doubled even after excluding people with psychiatric comorbidity and adjusting for various factors [7], rejuvenating the hypothesis of neurobiological underpinnings. This concept was further elaborated into a shared pathophysiology [9,10] because of the parallel data on the bidirectional relationship among suicide, mood disorders, and epilepsy [11,12].…”

The interictal dysphoric disorder of epilepsy: Legend or reality?

“…A number of authors agree that up to 50% of patients with epilepsy and depression present psychiatric symptoms that are not captured by standardized classificatory systems such as DSM or ICD [16][17][18][19][20]. This observation might explain the high variability in epidemiological data on mood disorders in epilepsy.…”