Objective: Depression is common among patients with epilepsy. The aim of our study was twofold: to estimate the prevalence of a major depressive episode and to identify its determinants among patients with epilepsy treated in the largest Greek hospital in Athens.
Methods: All consecutive patients with epilepsy that visited the epilepsy outpatient clinic of Evangelismos General Hospital were invited to participate in the study. Ninety-four patients met our inclusion criteria.
Results: A diagnosis of a current major depressive episode was established in 21 out of 94 eligible to participate (22.3%) patients. Being a female was associated with a 19.68-fold increase in the odds of having a major depressive episode (95% CI 3.39-114.14, p=0.001); being unemployed was associated with a 6.46-fold increase in the odds of having a major depressive episode (95% CI 1.23-34.07, p=0.028), and each extra seizure experienced per month was associated with a 1.38-fold increase in the odds of having a major depressive episode (95% CI 1.03-1.85, p=0.031).
Conclusion: Unemployment, female gender, and seizure control are important determinants of a major depression episode among patients with epilepsy.
Keywords: Depression; Determinants; Epilepsy; Unemployment.
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