Consistent with previous literature, more frequent seizures were associated with worse depression severity and quality of life, according to a recent study. A finding that is less established is that higher seizure frequency is also associated with worse epilepsy-related stigma. Data were derived from a baseline sample of a larger prospective study of 120 individuals with epilepsy who experienced a negative health event (NHE) within the last 6 months. Researchers found:

• Except for lower levels of education and lower levels of income being associated with higher 30-day and 6-month seizure frequency, demographic variables were generally not significantly associated with NHEs.
• Higher 30-day seizure frequency was associated with greater depression severity on Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Montgomery-Asberg Depression rating scale (MADRS).
• Higher 6-month seizure frequency was also associated with greater depression severity on PHQ-9 and MADRS.
• Both 30-day and 6-month seizure frequency were significantly negatively associated with Quality of Life Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-10).