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zombelina

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Is anyone attending the EFA webinar, "Epilepsy, Anxiety and Mood Changes," tonight at 7pm? I'm looking forward to it. If there is anything interesting, I will report back.
 
It was good but a lot of it was pretty basic. These are the things I can remember:
They covered the higher comorbidity rates with epilepsy and anxiety, depressive disorders and suicidal ideation. 1 in 3 people (I think) with epilepsy will have at least one episode of anxiety or depression in their life. They also discussed the importance of treating these issues as they are often easy to treat in people with epilepsy and will help with seizure control, and AEDs don't work as well in people who are depressed and anxious. People who suffer psychiatric side effects from AEDs are usually those with a family history of anxiety or depression, or those with a past history themselves. In the case of side effects, changing seizure medications can help. They also said not to be afraid of antidepressants as there are several available that do not lower the seizure threshold. Cognitive behavioral therapy can also be very helpful.

There was also a lot of great information on children and how depression and anxiety may sometimes just look like irritability, acting out, attention problems, etc. They said it is important to be very aware of any issues that may arise in your child because kids are unable to make the connection that something they are feeling is a side effect, and it is harder for them to verbally communicate their feelings. Also, anxiety and depression in children can have a long-term impact on their quality of life so it is helpful to catch and treat it early.
Thanks for asking!
 
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