2023 AES: Special Lecture | The Multi-disciplinary Patient Centered Team in Treating People with Epilepsy-Neuropsychiatry in Treatment of Mood and Behavior in Epilepsy

Video Transcription

Video Summary

At a symposium focused on multidisciplinary care for epilepsy patients, the discussion zeroed in on integrating mental health into epilepsy care. Recognizing epilepsy's wide-ranging impacts beyond seizures, the importance of collaborating with neuropsychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers was emphasized. Key learning goals involved understanding the neuropsychiatric symptoms of epilepsy through their multifactorial causes. Highlights included insights from historical figures like Hippocrates, who correlated epilepsy with psychiatric symptoms. Current data reinforces this link, showing that epilepsy patients have higher comorbidity rates for psychiatric disorders. Anti-seizure medications, while vital, can have significant psychiatric side effects, complicating treatment outcomes. In cases of pharmacoresistant epilepsy, surgical interventions may aid seizure control but introduce new psychiatric challenges, including heightened risks for depression and anxiety post-surgery. The discussion concluded with a call to action for embedding more mental health professionals in epilepsy care settings to improve treatment outcomes and address the understated psychiatric complexities in epilepsy.

Asset Subtitle

Presenter: Chadrick Lane, MD

Keywords

epilepsy care

mental health

neuropsychiatric symptoms

psychiatric comorbidity

treatment outcomes