New treatment could transform the mental health of children with epilepsy

A brand new psychological therapy for kids with epilepsy, developed by a UCL-led group of scientists, has been proven to cut back psychological well being difficulties in comparison with commonplace care, a brand new examine finds.

Psychological well being issues comparable to worries, low temper and habits issues are extra widespread in children and young people with mind circumstances comparable to epilepsy, than within the common inhabitants—with as much as 60% of these with epilepsy having related psychological well being problems and lots of having multiple psychological well being situation.

These circumstances can have a huge impact on sufferers’ high quality of life and general well being.

Presently, psychological well being issues in kids and younger individuals with epilepsy are sometimes not recognized as a result of facilities that deal with epilepsy are normally separated from those who deal with psychological well being difficulties. When psychological well being difficulties are recognized, standard treatment for kids who even have epilepsy is normally carried out by specialists, comparable to little one and adolescent psychological well being companies (CAMHS) or hospital-based pediatric psychology companies. The therapy given normally entails treating every psychological well being situation (i.e., anxiousness, despair, behavioral points) individually.

The brand new therapy, named the Psychological Well being Intervention for Youngsters with Epilepsy (MICE), relies on the therapies that the Nationwide Institute for Well being and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends for the therapy of widespread psychological well being difficulties, like cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiousness and despair. Nevertheless, it makes use of a modular strategy that permits a number of psychological well being circumstances to be handled without delay, as a substitute of getting completely different therapies for various psychological well being difficulties.

It was additionally modified particularly for kids and younger individuals with epilepsy, for instance, together with classes that designate the connection between epilepsy and psychological well being.

Moreover, the therapy could be delivered over the telephone or through video name so that individuals should not have to journey to the hospital and miss time from faculty or work. And moderately than being outsourced to companies comparable to CAMHS, it’s built-in into epilepsy companies—that means that it could possibly be delivered by non-mental well being specialists.

Lead writer Dr. Sophie Bennett, who carried out the analysis whereas working at UCL Nice Ormond Road Institute of Baby Well being, mentioned, “This therapy breakthrough signifies that we now have a brand new approach to assist kids and younger individuals with epilepsy who even have mental health difficulties.

“The therapy could be delivered from inside epilepsy companies to hitch up care. It does not should be delivered by specialist psychological well being clinicians like psychologists. Integrating the care might help kids with epilepsy and their households extra successfully and effectively. We had been significantly happy that advantages had been sustained when therapy ended.”

The brand new therapy, outlined in The Lancet, was created along with younger individuals and their households and the professionals who take care of them, together with docs, nurses and psychologists.

Sufferers got an preliminary evaluation adopted by weekly calls with the clinician—though face-to-face remedy was accessible if most popular. The classes had been delivered to both the younger individual immediately, or through their caregiver, based mostly on their particular person circumstances.

Researchers trialed the therapy with 334 kids and younger individuals aged three to 18. Of those, 166 acquired the brand new MICE therapy and 168 acquired the same old therapy for psychological well being issues in kids with epilepsy.

They assessed adolescents’ psychological well being and general well-being from a parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)—protecting areas comparable to emotional issues, conduct, hyperactivity and peer issues.

The outcomes confirmed that the kids who had the MICE therapy had fewer psychological difficulties than those that had the same old therapy, and the change is equal to a lower of 40% within the chance of getting a psychiatric dysfunction.

Co-Chief Investigator, Professor Roz Shafran (UCL Nice Ormond Road Institute of Baby Well being and GOSH), mentioned, “These groundbreaking findings not solely promise brighter futures for kids with epilepsy, but additionally pave the best way for a revolutionary shift in psychological well being care practices. The collaborative efforts of scientists, sufferers, and well being care professionals have introduced forth a brand new period of therapy of psychological well being challenges related to epilepsy, providing a beacon of hope for households within the face of psychological well being challenges related to epilepsy.”

Co-Chief Investigator, Professor Helen Cross (UCL Nice Ormond Road Institute of Baby Well being and GOSH), added, “This examine reveals actual progress for clinicians contemplating the excessive fee of psychological well being issues in kids with epilepsy, as we display the advantage of a remedy that may be applied inside current epilepsy companies.”

Co-author, Professor Isobel Heyman (UCL Nice Ormond Road Institute of Baby Well being and Medical Co-Lead for psychological well being at Cambridge Youngsters’s Hospital), famous, “These promising outcomes present that employees working in pediatric settings could be skilled to ship efficient psychological well being therapy to kids with a bodily well being situation (epilepsy). It clearly demonstrates that kids’s well being care wants could be met in a holistic approach to deal with the ‘complete little one,” in the identical place on the identical time.”

The work was carried out in collaboration with specialists at Nice Ormond Road Youngsters’s Hospital (GOSH), King’s School London and UCLA.