Specialists have called for all children and youths with epilepsy to be screened for mental health disorders, after finding higher than expected rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
The researchers from the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, investigated the prevalence of signs of mental health issues in children and youths with epilepsy and no previously established psychiatric comorbidity.
A total of 119 children and youths (mean age 15.7 years) who attended an epilepsy clinic or underwent testing in the pediatric monitoring unit, completed self-reported validated scales for: