Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a general term used for a group of disorders that cause disturbances in electrical signalling in the brain. The cause can be illness, brain damage, or abnormal development of the brain. No cause can be determined for about three-quarters of the cases of epilepsy.

People with a history of epilepsy appear to be at an increased risk of developing schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like psychosis. The researchers found that people with a history of epilepsy were around 2.5 times more likely to develop schizophrenia and 3.0 times more likely to develop schizophrenia-like psychosis than the general population.

Depression is common in patients with epilepsy, and its occurrence could affect seizure control and treatment compliance. Also major depression and attempted suicide independently increase the risk of unprovoked seizure.

Treatment is available at: