Depression: a by-product of epilepsy

 

*Trigger Warning*

// I had never been so happy to have my friends fingers down my throat. Vomit drenched buckets testament to failure, but that’s just it; depression isn’t failure. //

// Surely the purpose of epilepsy medication is to STOP seizures! Imagine my shock that the side effects of the medication included seizures and depression. Not only that, but it’s estimated that the lifetime prevalence of depression with epilepsy is as high as 55%¹.

Seeing as this is the case, why is nobody talking about it!?

Having taken Lamictal, Trileptal, Gabitril and Sabril over a course of six years it hadn’t registered that my mental health was in decline, (after a seizure it’s expected to feel exhausted/sad).

February 2020 changed that…the day I chugged 31 Lamictal pills. A friend entered my room finding my slumped form, the whites of my eyes frozen in place. I had never been so happy to have my friends fingers down my throat, as I vomited regret. A seizure ensued. I awakened in the hospital with no money, phone, or memory as to who I was. Luckily, my friend had all the above. This could happen to someone you know or yourself, so to be prepared I have created a list.

How to be prepared in a vulnerable situation

• ·         Purchase a medical ID necklace (stating your name, date of birth and emergency contact number. This information will allow the medical staff to contact the emergency contact on your behalf, providing immediate care for your condition).
• ·         Contact your GP if you’re experiencing symptoms of depression or feel that your medication is affecting you negatively.
• ·         Contact the Samaritans Helpline Number: 116-123 (if you’re feeling suicidal and need to talk).

 This story is not my own, in that it's relevant to many and as such, I have interviewed a survivor of both epilepsy and depression. What follows is Chloe Thipthorpe’s experience  Having been diagnosed at the age of 5 she has almost two decades of experience with both mental and physical illness.

How have these conditions impacted your life?

“It’s not just in the physicality, but how people react. I remember saying to somebody that epilepsy is a disability, and they couldn’t believe it. You start to question your psyche. Am I a fraud? You doubt yourself, even though the medication is there- the evidence. The medication itself contributes to the depression. As a child I took Epilim, a mood stabiliser which was a terrible in that your mind is developing and you’re developing your identity. When you’re young you don’t realise, you’re different…as you get older you come to terms with it.”

 

Is there any advice you’d like to give the readers?

“It’s about not making people feel like an outsider. I don’t want to seem like a burden and can still do what others say I shouldn’t be able to. I go clubbing! I’ve had seizures in clubs and others say, “you shouldn’t have been there”, but different epileptics have different triggers and mine is primarily daylight.”

 

“Depression in patients with epilepsy is associated with a significantly higher suicide rate than in the general population”². If you’d like to support ground-breaking research today in the advancement of epilepsy research, you can donate here: https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/donate.

References

1. Jackson J M, Turkington D. (2005) Depression and anxiety in epilepsy Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, accessed 13/02/2021, https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/76/suppl_1/i45

2. Harris E C, Barraclough B. (1997) Suicide as an outcome for mental disorders: a meta-analysis, Br J Psychiatry, p.205–228, accessed 02/02/2021, https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?journal=Br+J+Psychiatry&title=Suicide+as+an+outcome+for+mental+disorders:+a+meta-analysis&author=EC+Harris&author=B+Barraclough&volume=170&publication_year=1997&pages=205-228&pmid=9229027&.