TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2007//
TI  - Depression, hopelessness and suicide risk among patients suffering from epilepsy
JO  - Annali dell'Istituto superiore di sanità
A1  - Pompili, Maurizio
A1  - Vanacore, Nicola
A1  - Macone, Sara
A1  - Amore, Mario
A1  - Petriconi, Gianfranco
A1  - Tonna, Matteo
A1  - Sasso, Enrico
A1  - Lester, David
A1  - Innamorati, Marco
A1  - Gazzella, Silvia
A1  - Di Bonaventura, Carlo
A1  - Giallonardo, Annateresa
A1  - Girardi, Paolo
A1  - Tatarelli, Roberto
A1  - De Pisa, Eleonora
SP  - 425
EP  - 429
VL  - 43
IS  - 4
N2  - Suicide risk, as well as psychiatric disorder, has been repeatedly reported in the international literature as an important issue in the care of individuals suffering from epilepsy. In this pilot study a sample comprising 103 patients with a diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy, were collected from three clinics. The patients were administered the Beck hopelessness scale (BHS), the Beck depression inventory (BDI) and the Zung self-rating anxiety scale (SAS). Hopelessness has been identified as a construct linked to the prediction and the prevention of suicide. Twenty-six percent of the epileptic patients had scores>/= 9 on the BHS, suggesting that they should be evaluated for suicidal inclinations. These patients were significantly older by about 9 years and had higher levels of depression and anxiety, but they did not differ in sex, age of onset of epilepsy or in their responsiveness to medication. In the logistic regression analysis, a hopelessness score>/= 9 was predicted by BDI depression scores and SAS anxiety scores taking into account sex, age and response to epileptic medications. Despite a number of limitations, this pilot study adds support for the need for screening for suicide risk in patients with epilepsy. Both clinical and psychometric data should be part of the evaluation of the epileptic patient for psychiatric and suicidality assessment.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0021-2571
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -