Prevalence of anxiety disorders in epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: Anxiety disorders (ADs) are common in patients with epilepsy (PWE). The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of specific ADs in outpatients with epilepsy.

METHODS: A group of 118 consecutive outpatients with epilepsy were screened, and 96 patients meeting inclusion criteria were examined by a trained psychiatrist using Structured Clinical Interview (SICD-I) for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (Text Revision) (DSM-IV-TR).

RESULTS: A diagnosis of any current AD was established in 16 (16.7%) out of 96 participants. Furthermore, panic disorder (PD) was the most frequent AD; it was observed in 13.5% of PWE and constituted 81.2% of the identified ADs in the study group. Older age and later age of seizure onset were associated with increased odds of AD diagnosis.

STUDY LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional study design, a consecutive sample of patients presenting to a tertiary referral center, and small sample size of the population could have affected the results.

CONCLUSIONS: Panic disorder and other forms of AD are common among PWE. Age and age of seizure onset are important factors associated with AD among PWE.