People with epilepsy have a higher risk of developing depression than the general population.

the verdict

SUPPORTED

the evidence backs this

Recorded sources

7 sources for · 0 against

Counts group repeated records of the same source within each side. They do not measure evidence strength or source independence.

Is it true that people with epilepsy have a higher risk of developing depression than the general population?

Yes. A 2016 review and a 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis both state that people with epilepsy have a higher risk of developing depression than people without epilepsy. Other reviews report elevated depression prevalence or psychiatric comorbidity in epilepsy, consistent with but not directly comparing to the general population.

Verdict: SUPPORTED · 7 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Evidence for · 7

Epilepsy

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Epilepsy. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy

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More for · 6

Depression and anxiety in people with epilepsy: Why should we identify?

2016

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Sung-Pa, P. (2016). Depression and anxiety in people with epilepsy: Why should we identify?. zenodo.org. https://doi.org/10.1515/joepi-2016-0005

Is depression associated with an increased risk of treatment-resistant epilepsy? Research strategies to investigate this question

2014

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Is depression associated with an increased risk of treatment-resistant epilepsy? Research strategies to investigate this question. (2014). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2014.06.027

Exploring the association between epilepsy and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis -

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Exploring the association between epilepsy and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis - PMC Lock. (n.d.). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278907

Depression and anxiety in adults with epilepsy. Systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

2026

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JC, R., S, N., M, A., X, P., L, P., & AM, B. (2026). Depression and anxiety in adults with epilepsy. Systematic literature review and meta-analysis.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2026.121741

Prevalence of Depression Among Patients with Epilepsy in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

2026

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MY, A. J., AM, A., FS, A., MA, A., NI, A., MM, A., & AS, A. (2026). Prevalence of Depression Among Patients with Epilepsy in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.17712/1658-3183.2799

Polygenic risk score analysis reveals shared genetic burden between epilepsy and psychiatric comorbidities

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Polygenic risk score analysis reveals shared genetic burden between epilepsy and psychiatric comorbidities. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.04.23292071

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