MONDAY, Dec. 12, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Epilepsy surgery can significantly improve the depression and anxiety that are common among people whose epilepsy can't be controlled by medication, a new study finds.
The study of 360 people at seven epilepsy centers in the United States found that rates of anxiety and depression disorders declined more than 50 percent after up to two years following epilepsy surgery. Patients who were seizure-free after surgery were most likely to no longer experience anxiety and depression.
Epilepsy surgery is usually performed only on patients whose seizures can't be adequately controlled by drugs. The majority of the patients in this study had surgery on the temporal lobe of their brain. The study volunteers were evaluated before surgery, and at three months, one year and two years after their surgery.
Prior to surgery, 22 percent of the patients were depressed, compared to 9 percent two years after the surgery, while 18 percent had anxiety disorders before the surgery, compared to 10 percent after surgery. Among patients who had no seizures following surgery, 8 percent were depressed and 8 percent had anxiety disorders. Among patients who still had seizures after surgery, 18 percent were depressed and 15 percent had anxiety disorders, the researchers said.
It isn't clear why epilepsy surgery can improve depression and anxiety.
"Removing dysfunctional areas of the brain may be critical," study author Dr. Orrin Devinsky, of the New York University School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement. "Whether the benefit comes from reducing or eliminating seizures or other effects is not clear. People may also be benefiting from an improved sense of self-control, less fear of seizures, higher activity levels and a lessened burden from medications."
The findings appear in the Dec. 13 issue of Neurology.
More information
The Epilepsy Foundation has more about epilepsy surgery.
