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The Interictal Dysphoric Disorder of Epilepsy

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Neuropsychiatric Disorders

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Abstract

Depression represents a common psychiatric comorbidity in patients with epilepsy, particularly among those with partial seizures of temporal lobe origin, ranging between 24% and 74% according to the population investigated. However, a number of authors have pointed out that the phenomenology of depression, especially among patients with refractory epilepsy, frequently fails to meet widely standardized criteria for psychiatric disorders such as DSM-IV. In this regard, it has been suggested that, within the overall presentations of depression in epilepsy, a subgroup of patients may develop an affective-somatoform syndrome also known as the interictal dysphoric disorder of epilepsy. This chapter is aimed at reviewing, with historical reference, the psychopathological and clinical features of such a controversial entity in the light of recent studies pointing out the commonalities with a specific subset of cyclothymic subjects in which depressive periods and labile–angry–irritable moods dominate the clinical picture. It is, therefore, tempting to speculate that the interictal dysphoric disorder may represent an interesting biological model to further clarify a number of issues on the neurobiology of mood regulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurology, Maggiore Hospital, Amedeo Avogadro University, C.so Mazzini 18, 28100, Novara, Italye-mail: marco.mula@med.unipmn.it

    Marco Mula

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  1. Marco Mula
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Correspondence to Marco Mula .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Jinmeikai Research Institute for Mental Health, 53-20 Kabutoyama-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 662-0001, Japan

    Koho Miyoshi M.D., Ph.D. (Director, The former Professor) & Yasushi Morimura M.D., Ph.D. (Chief Executive Officer) (Director, The former Professor) &  (Chief Executive Officer)

  2. Ohmura Hospital, 200 Kitayama-Ohmura, Miki, Hyogo, 673-0404, Japan

    Koho Miyoshi M.D., Ph.D. (Director, The former Professor) (Director, The former Professor)

  3. Department of Occupational Therapy, Kobe Gakuin University School of Rehabilitation, 518 Ikawadani-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe, 651-2180, Japan

    Kiyoshi Maeda M.D., Ph.D. (Professor) (Professor)

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Mula, M. (2010). The Interictal Dysphoric Disorder of Epilepsy. In: Miyoshi, K., Morimura, Y., Maeda, K. (eds) Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53871-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53871-4_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo

  • Print ISBN: 978-4-431-53870-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-4-431-53871-4

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