Psychological trajectories in the year after a newly diagnosed seizure

SL Velissaris; MM Saling; MR Newton; SF Berkovic; SJ Wilson

Journal article

Psychological trajectories in the year after a newly diagnosed seizure

SL Velissaris, MM Saling, MR Newton, SF Berkovic, SJ Wilson

Epilepsia | WILEY-BLACKWELL | Published : 2012

DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2012.03658.x

Abstract

Purpose: Underdiagnosed depression and anxiety are well-recognized issues in chronic epilepsy, but the evolution of these symptoms after diagnosis is not well understood. We aimed to identify mood trajectories after a first seizure, and to examine factors impacting these trajectories. Methods: Seventy-four patients were evaluated at 1, 3, and 12 months with (1) the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and (2) a semistructured interview assessing patients' initial psychological reaction to the seizure at 1 month (limited vs. pervasive loss of control). The SAS Institute's TRAJ data modelling procedure was employed to delineate trajectories. Key Findings: Two depression and three anxiety tra..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Michael Saling Author

Sam Berkovic Author

Sarah Wilson Author

Related Projects (2)

NHMRC Australia Fellowship

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Grants

Awarded by ARC Linkage Project Grant

Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

This research was funded by an ARC Linkage Project Grant (LP0453690), GlaxoSmithKline Australia, and The University of Melbourne, Australia. GlaxoSmithKline had no direct involvement in this research. We extend our gratitude to the patients of The First Seizure Clinic, Austin Health, Melbourne, for participating. We also thank Professor Anne Jacoby, Liverpool, for providing the use of the NEWQOL, and Dr Judi Humberstone, Melbourne, for her review of the statistics.