Original Article
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World J Psychiatr. Dec 22, 2014; 4(4): 141-149
Published online Dec 22, 2014. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v4.i4.141
Factors associated with hopelessness in epileptic patients
Maurizio Pompili, Gianluca Serafini, Marco Innamorati, Franco Montebovi, Dorian A Lamis, Mariantonietta Milelli, Manuela Giuliani, Matteo Caporro, Paolo Tisei, David Lester, Mario Amore, Paolo Girardi, Carla Buttinelli
Maurizio Pompili, Marco Innamorati, Franco Montebovi, Mariantonietta Milelli, Paolo Girardi, Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy
Gianluca Serafini, Mario Amore, Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16100 Genoa, Italy
Dorian A Lamis, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, SC 29208, United States
Manuela Giuliani, Matteo Caporro, Paolo Tisei, Carla Buttinelli, Department of Neurological Science, Neurological Unit, S. Andrea Hospital, University La Sapienza, 00189 Rome, Italy
David Lester, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Galloway, NJ 08205, United States
Author contributions: All authors contributed to this manuscript.
Correspondence to: Maurizio Pompili, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, 1035-1039, Via di Grottarossa, 00189 Rome, Italy. maurizio.pompili@uniroma1.it
Telephone: +39-06-33775675 Fax: +39-06-33775342
Received: August 14, 2014
Peer-review started: August 15, 2014
First decision: September 16, 2014
Revised: October 1, 2014
Accepted: October 14, 2014
Article in press: October 16, 2014
Published online: December 22, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: The present study assessed factors associated with hopelessness, depression, and quality of life in a sample of 69 epileptic patients using standardized psychometric instruments. All of the participants reported moderate to severe depression, and 25% of the patients had Beck Hopelessness Scale total scores ≥ 9 indicating a higher suicidal risk. Although the study did not control for years of the illness which may limit the generalizability of findings, patients with generalized seizures experienced more limitations in common social/role activities due to emotional problems than those with other types of seizures.