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A Multicenter Study on the Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders among New Referrals for Epilepsy in Japan
Author(s) -
Matsuura Masato,
Oana Yasunori,
Kato Masaaki,
Kawana Akinori,
Kan Rumiko,
Kubota Humio,
Nakano Takashi,
Hara Tsunekatsu,
Horikawa Naoshi
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
epilepsia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.687
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1528-1167
pISSN - 0013-9580
DOI - 10.1046/j.1528-1157.2003.25202.x
Subject(s) - epilepsy , psychiatry , medicine , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , neuroticism , mini international neuropsychiatric interview , outpatient clinic , prevalence of mental disorders , personality disorders , psychology , anxiety , personality , social psychology
Summary: Purpose: To investigate the prevalence rate and risk factors of psychiatric disorders among new referrals for epilepsy, a multicenter study was conducted by using the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) criteria for epilepsy and the ICD‐10 criteria for psychiatric disorders. Methods: From April 2000 to March 2001, 398 patients with epilepsy, who were referred to nine neuropsychiatric outpatient clinics specialized for epilepsy in the Tokyo metropolitan area, were evaluated by using a newly developed five‐axis classification scheme. Results: Forty‐two percent of the subjects showed a psychiatric disorder. Twenty‐four percent of the total showed psychiatric disorders, including neurotic disorders in 8%, psychotic disorders in 7%, and affective disorders in 1%. In addition, 23% of the total showed mental retardation, and 18% showed personality disorders. A logistic regression analysis revealed that the three risk factors for a psychiatric disorder were mental retardation, temporal lobe epilepsy (as opposed to other subtypes), and a high seizure frequency. Conclusions: The presence of mental retardation was the primary risk factor for developing a psychiatric disorder, especially a schizophrenia‐spectrum disorder. The type of epilepsy alone is not a strong predictor of psychiatric illness, and intractable temporal lobe epilepsy with a high seizure frequency is accountable for the link between the epilepsy and the psychiatric illness.