Assessment of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Epileptic Patients Utilizing the DASS-21 Scale: A Cross-Sectional Investigation

Introduction People with epilepsy frequently experience depression, Anxiety, and stress, which has a substantial negative impact on their quality of life and overall health-related satisfaction. This study aimed to identify psychiatric comorbidities in individuals with epilepsy, as assessed via the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, by comparing them with a healthy control group. Methodology This cross-sectional study was conducted in the XXXX, and patients were recruited from the Out-Patient Department of XXXX, from August 2022 to February 2024. The total number of participants was 388, including 194 Cases. 194 healthy controls were matched for age and sex, with participants under the age of 18 excluded. Psychiatric comorbidity was evaluated via the DASS-21 scale using Chi-square and one-way ANOVA. Results The study involved 194 patients and 194 healthy controls, with a mean age of 25.11 ± 10.28 years. Among the patients, 58.2% were female and 41.8% were male. A significant difference in depression levels was found between patients on monotherapy and polytherapy ( p  = 0.003). However, no significant differences were found in anxiety ( p  = 0.214) and stress ( p  = 0.139). There are no significant links between depression, anxiety, stress and antiepileptic drugs. Patients with epilepsy had significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress compared to healthy controls, with all p  = 0.00. Conclusion The study highlights the elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among patients with epilepsy. Clinicians and healthcare practitioners should adopt comprehensive and holistic assessment methods to address and mitigate these psychiatric comorbidities in epilepsy patients.