Higher suicide risk for epileptics

People with epilepsy are three times more likely to commit suicide than the general population, according to research published today.

It also found women with epilepsy were more likely to commit suicide than men with the condition.

People diagnosed with epilepsy in the previous six months were at an even higher risk of committing suicide, the study showed.

The findings are published online and in the August issue of The Lancet Neurology. Dr Jakob Christensen and Dr Per Sidenius, of Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, and colleagues studied 21,169 cases of suicide in Denmark between 1981 and 1997.

A further 423,128 "control" cases matched by sex, birth year and calendar date were also studied. The research found 492 of the suicide cases - 2.32 per cent - had epilepsy, compared with 3,140 of the "controls" - 0.74 per cent - corresponding to a three times higher risk.

The charity Epilepsy Action said the figures demonstrated the impact that a diagnosis of epilepsy can have on someone's life. "Uncontrolled seizures and drug side effects can have a devastating effect on the quality of life for people with the condition," the organisation said."Many aspects can be affected like employment, schooling and social life."

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