Investigators at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA; UCLA; and Univ Wisconsin, Madison, WI, draw attention to the lack of attention to comorbidities in the treatment of epilepsy. Comorbidities include depression, anxiety disorders, ADHD, interictal psychosis, autism, and suicidal behavior. Despite studies that demonstrate the frequency of cognitive, psychiatric, linguistic, and social problems, the translation of research data to clinical practice is frequently hindered by limited access to critical cognitive and psychological evaluations and counseling. The NINDS Epilepsy Benchmarks and other national initiatives emphasize the need for comprehensive care for patients with epilepsy, yet there is a continuing lack of interest in support of these goals. [1]
COMMENTARY. ADHD is a common comorbidity of epilepsy, occurring in one of 5 children with epilepsy [2]. Quality of life was impaired twofold in children with epilepsy complicated by ADHD-inattentive subtype (ADHD-I), and fourfold with ADHD-hyperactive-Impulsive subtype (ADHD-C) comorbidity, when compared to non-ADHD/epilepsy patients. Methylphenidate with AEDs may be beneficial in treatment of ADHD and AED refractory epilepsy [3, 4].