A history of major depression and a past suicide attempt seem to be tied to an increased risk of seizures and epilepsy, according to the findings of a population-based study conducted in Iceland.

Dr. Dale C. Hesdorffer of Columbia University in New York and colleagues examined data for children 10 years of age or older and adults with newly diagnosed seizures. Standardized interviews were used to ascertain symptoms of major depression.

The study Included 324 seizure patients who were matched to 647 similar but unaffected “controls,” and the results are published in the Annals of Neurology.

After factoring in age, sex, and cumulative alcohol intake before the onset of depression, and other psychiatric conditions, patients with a history of depression alone were 50 percent more likely to develop seizures than those with no depressive symptoms.

Moreover, the likelihood of having seizures was 11 times higher for patients with a history of attempted suicide alone, and more than 3 times greater with a history of depression plus an attempted suicide.

“There appears to be an underlying susceptibility to epilepsy and major depression and suicidal behavior,” Hesdorffer commented.

“We plan to follow-up with studies designed to see whether the co-occurrence of these disorders is explained by shared genetic susceptibility, and with studies that examine possible common underlying neurotransmitter abnormalities,” he added.

SOURCE: Annals of Neurology, January 2006.