Suicide attempts in hospital-treated epilepsy patients.

Persons suffering from epilepsy are in the group of patients at an increased suicide risk. The basis of every suicidal behavior, including patients suffering from epilepsy, is depression, and to explore the causes of suicidal behavior in epileptics it is necessary to find the causes responsible for the development of depression. Depression is caused by numerous factors divided into psychosocial factors, factors of the illness, and antiepileptic medication factors. The aim of the study was to identify the causes of suicidal behavior in epileptics treated in our hospital. The study included patients suffering from epilepsy treated at our Department from January 1 to December 31, 2009. Based on medical history, patients having attempted suicide were allocated to the experimental group and those without a history of suicidal attempt in the control group. Characteristics of the groups in relation to age and sex were defined first, followed by defining variables used in both groups, i.e. psychosocial factors (marital status, employment status, family environment, psychiatric comorbidity) and disease factors (etiology, type of seizures, duration of the disease, attitude towards treatment, attitude towards illness). Statistical significance was recorded in two psychosocial variables, i.e. family environment, which was significantly better in control group, and psychiatric comorbidity, which was more frequently present in patients having attempted suicide. Study results showed even 14.6% of epilepsy patients to have attempted suicide. Poor family atmosphere and psychiatric comorbidity had a significant role in suicidal behavior. In our study, the variables associated with the disease had no effect on suicidal behavior in epilepsy patients.