SAITOU Satoshi    Department   School of Medicine(Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital), School of Medicine    Position   Assistant Professor
Article types	Original article
Language	English
Peer review	Peer reviewed
Title	Prospective assessment of depression and suicidality in patients with epilepsy having baseline NDDI-E Scores > 13: Associations with seizure frequency and psychiatric treatment.
Journal	Formal name：Epilepsy & behavior reports Abbreviation：Epilepsy Behav Rep ISSN code：25899864/25899864
Domestic / Foregin	Foregin
Volume, Issue, Page	31,pp.100810
Author and coauthor	Satoshi Saito, Go Taniguchi, Hideo Kato, Chihiro Nakata, Izumi Kuramochi
Authorship	Lead author
Publication date	2025/09
Summary	The Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E) is commonly used to screen for major depressive disorder (MDD) in patients with epilepsy, yet little is known about longitudinal changes in NDDI-E scores in relation to seizure control and psychiatric care. This study evaluated temporal changes in NDDI-E total and Item 4 scores (ΔNDDI-E, ΔItem 4) over ≥6 months in 34 adults (≥18 years) with baseline NDDI-E scores >13. Patients were seen in a specialized outpatient psychiatry clinic within an epilepsy center. Data included Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) ratings by psychiatrists specialized in epilepsy care, seizure frequency, DSM-5-based psychiatric diagnoses, and treatment interventions (e.g., medication adjustments, psychotherapy, and psychosocial support). Patients also completed a self-report questionnaire. No significant difference in MDD diagnoses was found between those with baseline NDDI-E scores of 14-16 and ≥17 (6.7 % vs. 21.1 %, p = 0.36). Comorbidities included autism spectrum disorder, dissociative disorder, and other mental health conditions. Changes in seizure frequency did not correlate with ΔNDDI-E or CGI-I scores, while ΔNDDI-E and ΔItem 4 showed moderate correlations with CGI-I (ρ = 0.51 and 0.56). All patients with improved Item 4 scores had better CGI-I ratings (p < 0.001). Qualitative analysis indicated that emotional fluctuations and psychosocial stressors influenced NDDI-E scores. These results suggest that longitudinal improvement in NDDI-E Item 4 may serve as a marker for psychiatric benefit. Effective use of the NDDI-E requires considering the psychiatric and psychosocial dimensions beyond seizure control. To validate these findings, studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up are necessary.
DOI	10.1016/j.ebr.2025.100810
PMID	40786014