Depression among people with epilepsy in Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional institution based study

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is the world’s most common neurological disorder, affecting approximately 50 million people worldwide and contributed to different psychiatric illness. Depression is one of the most frequent co morbid psychiatric disorders that affects the life of the patients’. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression and associated factors among epileptic patients attending the outpatient department of the University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2014. METHODS: Institution based quantitative cross—sectional study was conducted among 405 individual with epilepsy. The participants were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Semistructured questionnaires were used to obtain socio-demographic and clinical data. Depression was measured using Beck’s Depression Inventory Binary logistic regression used for analysis. RESULTS: The estimated, prevalence of depression was found to be 45.2 %. Out of these (29.6 %) were classified as mild, (14.8 %) as moderate and (0.8 %) were severely depressed. A lower educational status was associated with an increased prevalence of depression and the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for the illiterate [can’t read and write] was 8.32 [95 % Confidence Interval (CI): 4.83, 14.29]. Perceived stress (AOR = 6.21, CI 3.69, 10.44), onset of illness <6 years (AOR = 5.29, CI 4.09, 15.89), seizure frequency of [1–11 per year (AOR = 1.34, CI 1.41, 4.36), ≥1 per month (AOR = 7.83, CI 3.52, 17.40)], poly-pharmacy (AOR = 7.63, CI 2.74, 21.26)] and difficulties of adherence to antiepileptic drugs (AOR = 4.80, CI 2.57, 8.96) were also found to be independently associated with depression. CONCLUSION: Overall, the prevalence of depression was found to be high. Lower educational status, early onset of illness, seizure frequency, poly-pharmacy and difficulties of adherence to anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) were factors statistically associated with depression. Strengthening the educational status of the patients on the effect of early onset of the illness, frequent seizure occurrence and difficulty of adherence to AEDs as a contributing factors for other co-morbid psychiatric disorder are suggested in the clinical care setting.