Abstracts

Rationale: Despite continued progress in the treatment of epilepsy, the psychosocial outcome in adults is reported as poor, even in patients who reach seizure-freedom. The purpose of this project is to test the value of increased screening for mental health problems during the epilepsy appointments; educate the parents, peers and community about mental health problems in youth with epilepsy and how this affects their quality of life; to empower families to access mental health services for children and adolescents with epilepsy. Methods: The COPE program developed a series of prevention/intervention educational sessions about mental health and behavioral problems experienced by children and youth with epilepsy (CYE). We report the results of 5 questionnaires in adolescents with epilepsy and their families participating in the project COPE intervention. The questionnaires for adolescents included the Children Coping Questionnaire (CCQ), the Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument: Bully/Target (APRI-BT), the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (CSSRS) and the Quality of life in Epilepsy- Adolescents 48 (QOLIE AD-48). Forty four families of children ages 12-18 participated in this psycho-educational intervention. Results: During initial screening from Project COPE, parents reported emotional lability as the highest concern in the parental worries on the parental survey. Parents reported increased knowledge (35%) of mental health issues in youth with epilepsy after completing the 4 sessions and felt empowered to ask for help in case of increased need to access behavioral health services (75%).Youth with epilepsy (n=20) had a coping score higher compared to other chronic illness (mean CCQ score=100.9). Adolescents with epilepsy (n=31) reported similar scores in the perpetrating bullying (APRI-BT mean score=24.2) and bullying victimization (APRI-BT scale score= 26.9). In the QOLIE AD 48 (n=31), adolescents with epilepsy had higher score on the impact of emotional ( mean score 30.4) and mental problems (mean score 39) compared to the general health (mean score 30). In the group of the children who answered questions about suicidal ideation (n=24) 4 of them reported a suicidal attempt in the last year as reported on the CSSRS. Conclusions: Adolescents with epilepsy who participated in the COPE intervention reported coping problems and equal bullying behaviors and bullying victimization. Some of them had suicidal ideation indicated on the CSSRS. These findings are consistent with the findings of the scores on the QOLIE AD 48, were emotional and mental problems were rating higher than the general problems. Providers focus on the idea that seizure freedom will automatically improve the quality of life of patients with epilepsy. Yet, attaining this goal will not address the other issues, such as coping with illness, behavioral and emotional problems. Therefore there is a significant need for interventions that address these issues in children with epilepsy.