A holistic approach to treating epilepsy and comorbidities

William Curt LaFrance, MD, MPH, FAAN, FANPA, DFAPA, Brown University, Providence, RI, discusses common and clinically important neuropsychiatric aspects of epilepsy. In epilepsy patients, 30-40% have comorbid depression and a significant amount have anxiety. Both anxiety and depression have an impact on the outcomes of epilepsy treatment success. Therefore, in the clinic, a patient should be looked at and treated in a holistic manner. To treat epilepsy, there are more treatment options than pharmacotherapy and surgery, for example, lifestyle changes and psychotherapy. For epilepsy patients with depression or anxiety, psychotherapy could be beneficial. This interview took place during the Virtual World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) 2020.