Effects of postpartum depression on the behaviour of children born to mothers with epilepsy.

PURPOSE: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a non-psychotic depressive disorder that begins within 4 weeks of childbirth. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of PPD by screening mothers with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), to assess the behavioural outcome of children born to mothers with and without epilepsy and to investigate the relationship between PPD and children's behavioural problems. METHOD: We enrolled 80 pregnancies of women with epilepsy, who filled in EPDS after birth, and afterward we asked them to complete the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). RESULTS: 23.8% of patients presented PPD. Children, when the CBCL were completed, had a mean age of 6.05 ±â€¯3.07 years. The CBCL results indicate the occurrence of at least one behavioural issue in 25.0% (20/80) of children. CBCL scores revealed a higher prevalence of behavioural disturbances with regards to the CBCL Total (P = 0.016), internalizing (P = 0.014) and somatic problems (P = 0.048) in patients with PPD vs. patients without PPD. We found an association between mothers' EPDS total score and children's CBCL global score (P = 0.034), internalizing score (P = 0.021), anxiety problems (P = 0.05), affective problems (P = 0.027) and withdrawn/depressed (P = 0.05). We recorded a statistically higher malformation rate in patients with PPD (P = 0.005) compared to the general population. CONCLUSIONS: Children born from mothers with epilepsy have an increased risk for emotional disorders. These findings highlight the importance of screening for emotional distress and providing adequate interventions to children born to women with epilepsy.

Epilepsy and postpartum depression.

PURPOSE: Postpartum depression occurs in 10-20% of women who have recently given birth, but less than half of cases are recognized. The purpose of this study was to examine whether there was a difference in the rate of postpartum depression between patients with epilepsy and healthy controls, and to determine the relationship between epilepsy and postpartum depression. METHODS: The sample consisted of 55 patients with epilepsy and 55 patients without epilepsy. All patients were recruited at the Regional Epilepsy Center and at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Milan, St. Paolo Hospital (Italy). Every woman was assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and a clinical interview to screen for postpartum depression. RESULTS: We found a statistically significant higher rate of postpartum depression in patients with epilepsy compared with controls (p < 0.05). DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the importance of screening for postpartum depression; it can improve the recognition of the disorder and can provide adequate treatment and follow-up.

Do women with epilepsy have more fear of childbirth during pregnancy compared with women without epilepsy? A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Although anxiety and depression in populations with epilepsy have been studied, no research on fear of childbirth in women with epilepsy have been conducted. The purposes of this study were to examine whether a significant difference occurred in fear of childbirth between pregnant women with epilepsy and pregnant healthy controls and to evaluate the most common fears. METHODS: Fifty pregnant women with epilepsy and 50 pregnant women without epilepsy were assessed at a gestational age between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, using two questionnaires for the measurement of fear of childbirth, an open question, and a clinical interview. RESULTS: We found that during pregnancy, women with epilepsy experienced a significantly higher rate of fear of childbirth when compared with healthy controls, whereas after delivery, the experiences and feelings about childbirth are almost the same as those of women without epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings signify the importance of the assessment of the fear of childbirth, especially in women with epilepsy, and the need to offer professional and ad hoc support to those who suffer from it.

Postpartum depression in women with epilepsy versus women without epilepsy.

The goal of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference in the rate of postpartum depression among patients with epilepsy and healthy controls. All patients were recruited from the Epilepsy Center and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Milan, St. Paolo Hospital (Milan, Italy). Thirty-five pregnant women with epilepsy and an equal number of pregnant women without epilepsy were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), a clinical interview used to screen for postpartum depression (PPD), and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The rate of PPD in patients with epilepsy was statistically significantly higher than that of the controls (P<0.05). PPD was present in 29% of the patients with epilepsy and 11% of the controls. In conclusion, it is very important to point out that in our pilot study, the rate of PPD was higher among women with epilepsy than among women without epilepsy. In this regard, women at higher PPD risk can be identified earlier and treated as soon as possible to alleviate their symptoms and improve their quality of life.