MANAGING THE EFFECT OF SEIZURE FREQUENCY ON DEPRESSION AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN EPILEPTIC PATIENTS THROUGH CBT

Abstract

The aim of current research was to manage the effect of seizure frequency on depression and quality of life in epileptic patients through cognitive behavioral therapy. The initial sample consisted of 113 epileptic patients from Nishter Hospital Multan through purposive sampling technique. Liverpool Seizure Severity Scale (Baker, 1991), Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory in Epilepsy (Wagner, 2016) and Quality of life in Epilepsy (Cramer, 1998) were used to measure their seizure frequency, depression and quality of life. Utilizing an experimental approach, a sample of 20 epileptic patients who scored high on depression and low on quality of life were randomly categorized into experimental (n=10) and control group (n=10). Experimental group received the cognitive behavioral therapy whereas control group did not receive any therapy. Results revealed that there is a positive correlation between seizure frequency and depression. It was also found that there is a negative correlation between seizure frequency and quality of life except for social function which is also considered as one of the part of quality of life. Results indicated that there is an effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for reducing depression and improving quality of life in patients suffering from epilepsy