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Significance and Phenomenology

Mario F. Mendez, MD; Jeffrey L. Cummings, MD; D. Frank Benson, MD

Arch Neurol. 1986;43(8):766-770.

Abstract
• Depression is common in epileptics, but few studies of this relationship exist. We investigated the prevalence of depression in comparably disabled outpatients and its phenomenology in psychiatrically hospitalized inpatients. Fifty-five percent of 175 outpatient epileptics and 30% of 70 matched controls reported depression; 30% of epileptics vs 7% of controls reported prior suicide attempts. Epileptics were four times more likely to have been hospitalized for depression than nonepileptics. Twenty depressed epileptic inpatients were characterized by "endogenous" rather than "neurotic" features with more psychotic traits, paranoia, and underlying chronic dysthymia. Sixteen patients had complex partial seizures, and ten of 11 patients had a lateralized electroencephalographic focus lateralized to the left hemisphere. These results suggest a specific epileptic psychosyndrome due to limbic dysfunction.

Author Affiliations
From the Neurobehavior Program, Department of Neurology and Reed Neurological Research Center, University of California at Los Angeles (Drs Mendez, Cummings, and Benson), and Neurobehavior Unit, West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Center (Brentwood Division) (Drs Cummings and Benson). Dr Mendez is now with University Hospitals of Cleveland.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Jan 14, 1986.

Presented in part in poster form at the 37th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Dallas, May 1, 1985.

Reprint requests to Department of Neurology, University Hospitals of Cleveland, 2074 Abington Rd, Cleveland, OH 44106 (Dr Mendez).

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