Original scientific paper

SUICIDAL IDEATION AND THOUGHTS OF DEATH IN EPILEPSY PATIENTS

Nataša Loga Andrijić orcid.org/0000-0002-1196-8880 ; Department of Neurology, Clinical Center University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Azra Alajbegović ; Department of Neurology, Clinical Center University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Svjetlana Loga Zec ; Institute of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Slobodan Loga ; Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Background: Suicidal behavior is an important worldwide health problem. Psychiatric disorders, especially mood disorders, are
the main risk factors for suicidal behavior. Suicide is an important cause of death in patients with epilepsy. The aim of this study was
to analyze the presence of suicidal ideation in patients with epilepsy.
Subjects and methods: The study included 50 epilepsy inpatients and outpatients of both genders, aged 18 years and older,
treated at the Department of Neurology, Clinical Center University of Sarajevo in the period from 1st of April – October 1st 2007.
The sample was selected randomly. Applied research instruments were general questionnaire, HAM-D-17, BHS and BSS.
Results: Suicidal ideation and thoughts of death were present in 38% epilepsy patients. Symptoms of depression as well as
feelings of hopelessness were found in half of the participants (52% and 48%), and were significantly more common in epilepsy
patients with suicidal ideation. There was a significant relation of suicidal ideation with the presence of chronic pain (3.86; p=0.49),
sexual/physical abuse history (5.95, p=0.015), level of hopelessness (20.7; p=0.000) and severity of depression (14.48; p=0.000) in
epilepsy patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that unemployment (Exp(B) 33.9; p=0.007) and the level of
hopelessness (Exp(B) 14.9; p=0.001) were independently related to suicidal ideation in these patients.
Conclusions: The study has shown that the level of hopelessness and unemployment have a predictive value for appearance of
suicidal ideation in epilepsy patients. In the prediction of suicidal ideation in this population of patients, there is no single variable
that should be considered as specific and separate.

Keywords

suicidal ideation – epilepsy – depression – hopelessness

Hrčak ID:

162031

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/162031

Publication date:

3.3.2014.

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