Epilepsy Increases Risk of Suicide

Research reported by the BBC (7/3/07) indicates people who have epilepsy are generally three times more likely to die as a result of suicide than the general population, a study in the journal Lancet Neurology indicates. The risk of suicide is at its highest within six months of diagnosis, according to Danish researchers, and falls as time goes by. There may be a number of factors that affect the relationship between suicide and epilepsy, including a reduction of an overall quality of life in many people with the disorder, the researchers said. The results underscore the importance of reducing the stigma that’s still often associated with epilepsy.

It is therefore important that RTs do everything they can to reduce the stigma that is often associated with epilepsy.