Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Sep;98(Pt B):309-313.
doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2018.10.020. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Should adult neurologists play a role in the management of the most common psychiatric comorbidities? Practical considerations

Heidi M Munger Clary  1 , Jay A Salpekar  2
Affiliations
Review

Should adult neurologists play a role in the management of the most common psychiatric comorbidities? Practical considerations

Heidi M Munger Clary et al. Epilepsy Behav. 2019 Sep.

Abstract

Despite the high prevalence and negative impact of psychiatric comorbidities on the life of adults with epilepsy, significant unmet mental health care need exists because of a variety of factors, including poor access to mental health care providers. A potential solution to address access barriers is neurologist-driven diagnosis and management of common psychiatric conditions in epilepsy, of which mood and anxiety disorders are the most common. In this manuscript, patient selection criteria and practical treatment strategies are outlined for common mood and anxiety disorders that can be safely managed by neurologists. This article is part of the Special Issue "Obstacles of Treatment of Psychiatric Comorbidities in Epilepsy".

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Epilepsy; Neurologist; Psychiatric comorbidity; Treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: none

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Checklist for assessing mood and anxiety
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mahendran M, Speechley KN, Widjaja E. Systematic review of unmet healthcare needs in patients with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2017;75: 102–109. - PubMed
    1. Thompson AW, Kobau R, Park R, Grant D. Epilepsy care and mental health care for people with epilepsy: California Health Interview Survey, 2005. Prev Chronic Dis 2012;9: E60. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wagner JL, Brooks B, Smith G, St Marie K, Kellermann TS, Wilson D, Wannamaker B, Selassie A. Determining patient needs: A partnership with South Carolina Advocates for Epilepsy (SAFE). Epilepsy Behav 2015;51: 294–9. - PubMed
    1. Bermeo-Ovalle A Psychiatric Comorbidities in Epilepsy: We Learned to Recognize Them; It Is Time to Start Treating Them. Epilepsy Currents 2016;16: 270–272.
    1. Thurman DJ, Kobau R, Luo YH, Helmers SL, Zack MM. Health-care access among adults with epilepsy: The U.S. National Health Interview Survey, 2010 and 2013. Epilepsy Behav 2016;55: 184–8. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types