Investigating Non-pharmacological Treatments for Psychological Problems Associated with Epilepsy: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Epilepsy is one of the problems and diseases that accompanies a person for the rest of his/her life after diagnosis. This disease can severely affect a person’s physical condition and lead to psychological problems. Many patients with epilepsy suffer from psychological problems and are under the supervision of a psychiatrist, and they take medications to control the mental state. However, many patients are reluctant to take other medications, including psychiatric medications, due to long-term use of the drug. Therefore, in this study, we examined nonpharmacological treatments for psychological problems caused by epilepsy. In addition to developing epilepsy and receiving medications for the disease, these patients develop mental illnesses such as stress, depression, anxiety, and cognitive processes that require treatment. After searching for texts published in various English language databases, the required items were obtained. First, some of the psychosocial consequences of epilepsy, including negative attitude towards epilepsy, social stigma, family factors, quality of life, and sexual activity, were evaluated. Furthermore, the concurrency of psychological disorders (stress, depression, anxiety, cognitive processes, and theory of mind) along with non-pharmacological treatments were investigated.