Effect of depression on personality features in patients of mesial temporal lob epilepsy

Depression is a frequent psychiatric symptom in epilepsy and has been related to epilepsy of temporal origin, especially of left-sided foci. The present investigation has been designed to assess the personality features and the effects of depression on personality, in patients with mesial temporal lob epilepsy with hypocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS). Twenty-six patients undergoing presurgical evaluation for treatment of intractable MTLE-HS, 23 patients with depression and 25 healthy subjects included in the study. Self-report measures of depression (Beck Depression Inventory-BDI) and anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory-BAI), and an empirically derived measure of psychopathology (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-MMPI) were used to evaluate the subjects. Results indicated that MMPI subscales of hysteria, paranoia, social inversion, and depression subscales were higher in patients with MTLE-HS and with depression relative to controls. There were higher scores for females with epilepsy on the Mf (masculinity/femininity) subscale of the MMPI relative to males with epilepsy and the other two control groups. Patients with epilepsy and depression had higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to healthy controls. This study results showed that depression may have some effect on personality changes seen in epilepsy, and female epileptics seem to have a tendency towards a masculine attitude. New controlled studies with homogeneous study samples and with specific scales designed for patients with epilepsy have to be conducted.