Comparing the Anxiety of Patients with Epilepsy Before and After Drug Treatment

Abstract

Background: Epilepsy is a neurological disease that affects people of all ages. Anxiety in patients with epilepsy is more prevalent than in other patients and can significantly contribute to disability in these individuals. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the anxiety levels of epilepsy patients before and after drug treatment. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, participants were epilepsy patients who referred to the clinics of public hospitals. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were taking the drugs prescribed by their attending physician. The tools used included a demographic information form, the Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). These tools were administered before the patients began taking the drug and at intervals of one, three, and six months after starting the drug, with follow-ups conducted by the patients. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 software. Results: The results showed that 59.5% of the patients were male, 33.5% had an education level of high school, and 42% were employed. The mean ± SD age of the patients was 44.72 ± 8.64 years. The mean ± SD HAI score before drug administration was 43.82 ± 7.29, and six months after drug administration, it was 17.52 ± 8.08. For the BAI, the mean ± SD score before drug administration was 48.66 ± 9.84, and six months after drug administration, it was 19.73 ± 10.73. Additionally, the BAI score indicated that drug administration in the first month had no significant effect on reducing the BAI score (P = 0.41). Conclusions: Considering the positive effect of drug administration on reducing the HAI and BAI scores of the patients, it is suggested that drug interventions be implemented to improve the health of these patients.