Prevalence of mental disorders in children and teenagers with epilepsy: A narrative review

Epilepsy is a significant neurological disorder caused by sudden, excessive electrical discharges in the brain neurons. It is more prevalent in children and individuals under 20 years of age. Children with epilepsy are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues due to comorbid conditions like attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, and learning disabilities, making them more susceptible to anxiety and depression. This narrative review aims to assess the prevalence of mental disorders in children and teenagers with epilepsy. The review examines studies from PubMed, Google Scholar, Medline, Scientific Information Database, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CI-NAHL), Scopus, Elsevier, Iran Doc, and Magiran published between 2015 and 2022, focusing on the last five years. The search involved keywords such as "Epilepsy", "Children and Teenagers", "Mental Disorders", "Anxiety", and "Depression", along with various combinations and Boolean operators. The results of this narrative review indicate a high prevalence of mental disorders among children and teenagers with epilepsy. Among these, anxiety disorders were the most common, followed by depression, attention deficit disorder, and hyperactivity. Other disorders, such as phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder, were less prevalent but still notable. Given that epilepsy impacts all aspects of a child’s life, including psychological and social functions, leading to decreased efficiency and productivity, early detection and prevention of these mental health issues are crucial to improving the overall well-being and quality of life of these children.