Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study tests the hypothesis that epilepsy increases the risk of developing schizophrenia and other non-affective functional psychoses using a nationwide sample of people with epilepsy. METHOD: A record linkage study between a sample from the National Patient Register, consisting of 67,116 people with epilepsy, and the Danish Psychiatric Register identified all people with non-affective psychoses with onset after the first epilepsy diagnosis. The relation between risk of psychiatric disorder in people with epilepsy and the general Danish population was estimated. RESULTS: The incidences of the spectrum of non-organic non-affective psychosis, non-affective psychosis and schizophrenia were significantly increased both for men and women, even after exclusion of people diagnosed as suffering from a learning disability or substance misuse. CONCLUSION: This study supports the notion of an association between epilepsy and the risk of subsequent non-affective psychosis.
| Translated title of the contribution | Epilepsy and non-organic non-affective psychosis. National epidemiologic study. |
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| Original language | English |
| Journal | British Journal of Psychiatry |
| Volume | 172 |
| Pages (from-to) | 235-238 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| ISSN | 0007-1250 |
| Publication status | Published - 1998 |