Misidentification phenomena and Capgras Syndrome (CS) occur in different psychiatric (psychotic or major affective illnesses) and neurological (traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, neurosyphilis, etc.) disorders [1,2]. The aim of this report is to redefine dissociative spectrum dimensions inside CS and misidentification syndromes in patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD).

Five inpatients were assessed with the SCID-P, SCID-DER, DSS, HRSD, YMRS, a neurological and general medicine review, a first-level brain imaging examination (CT and/or MRI). We conducted a systematic literature review (PubMed, Embase, PsychInfo) using the key terms “Capgras Syndrome” and “Misidentificaition”.

All patients were diagnosed with type-I BD and had concomitant CS that presented with misidentification phenomena in the context of psychotic mixed state. They reported high scores for autopsychic and affective depersonalization symptoms as well as high SCI-DER (mean = 24.4) and DSS (mean = 13) total scores.

To our knowledge in literature, there are not studies that evaluated dissociative spectrum symptoms in CS in BD. This condition of identity and self fragmentation could be the key to shedding light on the interconnection between affective and non-affective psychotic disorders from schizophrenia to BD, and may underscore the possible validity of the concept of the unitary psychosis proposed by Griesinger [3–5]. Further research is warranted to replicate our clinical and qualitative observations and, in general, quantitative studies in large samples followed up over time are needed. Methodological limitations are considered.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Although early interventions in individuals with bipolar disorder may reduce the associated personal and economic burden, the neurobiologic markers of enhanced risk are unknown.

The objective of this paper is to analyze the existence of neurobiological abnormalities in individuals with genetic risk for developing bipolar disorder (HR)

A literature search was performed in the available scientific literature on the subject study object, by searching MEDLINE.

There were 37 studies included in this systematic review. The overall sample for the systematic review included 1258 controls and 996 HR individuals. No significant differences were detected between HR individuals and controls in the selected ROIs (regions of interest): striatum, amygdala, hippocampus, pituitary and frontal lobe. The HR group showed increased grey matter volume compared with patients with established bipolar disorder. The HR individuals showed increased neural response in the left superior frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus and left insula compared with controls. The overall results found no significant differences between individuals at high genetic risk and controls since the magnitude of the association as corresponds to an OR < 1.5 (low association)

There is accumulating evidence for the existence of neurobiologic abnormalities in individuals at genetic risk for bipolar disorder at various scales of investigation. The etiopathogenesis of bipolar disorder will be better elucidated by future imaging studies investigating larger and more homogeneous samples and using longitudinal designs to dissect neurobiologic abnormalities that are underlying traits of the illness from those related to psychopathologic states, such as episodes of mood exacerbation or pharmacologic treatment.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Bipolar disorder is a leading cause of hospitalization in psychiatric hospitals. It is known that early detection of bipolar disorder is associated with a better prognosis.

The aim of this study is to conduct a demographic analysis of patients hospitalized for bipolar disorder in a single center between 2003 to 2014.

Retrospective cohort study of 1230 patients admitted with bipolar disorder diagnosis from 2003 to 2014 at Centre Assistencial Emili Mira i López of Parc Salut Mar of Barcelona. We divided the study in two periods: 2003–2008 and 2009–2014. We analyzed the following variables: frequency of admissions, age, sex and days of hospital stay, comparing both periods. Chi-square test for categorical variables and Student t test for quantitative variables were applied.

The mean ages at the first and second period are 52 and 47, respectively (P < 0.001). There are no significant differences in sex and days of hospitalization. The frequency of admissions on the first and third trimesters is higher than in the second and fourth, although the differences are not statistically significant.

Despite the large number of patients in the study, there are limitations, such as being a retrospective study and not being adjusted for confounding factors. The average age of patients in the second period is lower than in the first. This could suggest an improvement in early detection of bipolar disorder in the last years. Further research is needed to confirm this hypothesis.

LG is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III(CM14/00111).

Most studies selected euthymic patients with bipolar disorder in inter-episodic phase according to clinical remission criteria at least between 1 and 6 months. However, possible differences can exist in the course of clinical symptoms in bipolar patients related to the duration of clinical remission.

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical status of bipolar patients after 6 months of clinical remission.

We performed a cross-sectional study of bipolar outpatients in clinical remission for at least 6 months. Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS), Young Mania Rating scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scale, Visual Analogic Scales (VAS) evaluated cognitive impairment were used to assess residual symptomatology of patients. Multivariate analysis (MANCOVA) was conducted for analysing possible differences between 3 groups of patients according to their duration of clinical remission (< 6 months–1 year, < 1 year–3 years, < 3 years–5 years).

A total of 525 patients were included into the study. The multivariate analysis indicated a significant effect of the duration of clinical remission on the different residual symptoms (Pillai's trace: F 4.48, P < 0.001). The duration of clinical remission was associated with the significant improvement of the BDRS total score (P = 0.013), the PSQI total score (P < 0.001) and the cognitive VAS total score (P < 0.001)

These results support a possible improvement of residual symptoms according to the duration of clinical remission in bipolar patients. Any definition of euthymia should specify the duration criteria.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

A large number of studies have found that patients with bipolar disorders have a poor performance in tasks assessing social cognition.

The present study aimed to investigate whether euthymic bipolar patients (EBP) have a dysfunction in emotion processing when compared to controls. An additional objective was to determine whether there is association between emotion processing and psychosocial functioning.

A sample of 53 EBP and 53 healthy controls matched for age, gender, education level and premorbid intelligence were studied. All subjects were assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and two additional executive function measures: the Trail Making Test–Part B and the Stroop Test. Emotion processing was examined using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Psychosocial functioning was assessed using the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale and the Functional Assessment Short Test (FAST).

For the MSCEIT, EBP obtained lower total scores (P = 0.001), experiential area scores (P = 0.012), strategic area scores (P = 0.000), perceiving emotions branch scores (P = 0.008), understanding emotions branch scores (P = 0.014) and managing emotions branch scores (P = 0.000) than controls. There were no significant differences between groups for the using emotions branch (P = 0.113). In addition, partial correlations controlling for sub-clinical psychopathology in EBP showed the existence of a significant correlation of MSCEIT total score and MSCEIT strategic area score with FAST total score.

EBP exhibit deficits in several areas of emotion processing. Performance in emotion processing tasks is associated with social functioning in these patients.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Deficient prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response, indicating sensorimotor gating deficits, has been reported in schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

The present study aimed to assess sensorimotor gating deficits in euthymic bipolar patients. Furthermore, we analysed the relationships between PPI and clinical and cognitive measures.

PPI was measured in 64 euthymic bipolar patients and in 64 control subjects matched for age, gender, education level and smoking status. Clinical characteristics and level of functioning were assessed in all participants using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST). Cognition was evaluated using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and the Stroop Test as an additional measure of executive function.

Compared with controls, patients with bipolar disorder exhibited PPI deficits at 60- and 120-milliseconds prepulse-pulse intervals. Among patients with bipolar disorder, PPI was correlated with the social cognition domain of the MCCB. PPI was not significantly correlated with other clinical or neurocognitive variables in either group.

Our data suggest that PPI deficit is a neurobiological marker in euthymic bipolar disorder, which is associated with social cognition but not with other clinical, functional or cognitive measures.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Several studies suggested the involvement of sensory perception in emotional processes and major affective disorders. Similarly, cognitive capacities and coping strategies are reported to influence quality of life of patients with unipolar and bipolar disorders.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the nature of the association between sensory processing patterns, coping strategies, and quality of life among patients with major affective disorders.

The study aimed to compare unipolar/bipolar patients concerning sensory processing, coping strategies and quality of life (QOL); examine correlations between sensory processing and QOL; investigate the relative contribution of socio-demographic characteristics, sensory processing, and coping strategies to the prediction of QOL.

Two hundred and sixty-seven participants, aged 16–85 years (mean = 53.6 ± 15.7), 157 diagnosed with unipolar major depressive disorder and 110 with bipolar disorder type I and type II completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile, Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced, and Short Form 12 Health Survey 2.

The unipolar and bipolar groups did not differ concerning sensory processing, coping strategies, and QOL. Sensory processing patterns correlated with QOL independently of the mediation by coping strategies. Correlations between low registration, sensory sensitivity, sensation avoidance, and reduced QOL were found more frequently in unipolar patients than bipolar patients. Elevated physical QOL was mainly predicted by lower age and lower sensory sensitivity whereas elevated mental QOL was mainly predicted by coping strategies.

Future studies should further investigate the impact of sensory processing and coping strategies on patients’ QOL to enhance adaptive and functional behaviors related to affective disturbances.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Psychiatric disorders are frequent among patients with epilepsy. The association between epilepsy and mood disorders is recognized since the classical antiquity. Recent studies demonstrated that the prevalence of bipolar symptoms in epilepsy patients is more significant than previously expected. In the first half of the twentieth century, Kraeplin and Bleuler were the first to describe a pleomorphic pattern of symptoms claimed to be typical of patients with epilepsy and recently Blumer coined the term interictal dysphoric disorder to identify this condition. Although for some authors, the existence of this condition as a diagnostic entity is still doubtful, for others, it represents a phenotypic copy of bipolar disorder.

In this work, we start from the phenomenological similarities between the interictal dysphoric disorder and the bipolar disorder, to explore the neurobiological underpinnings that support a possible link between epilepsy and bipolar disorder.

Research of articles published in PubMed and other databases.

Interictal dysphoric patients have features that resemble the more unstable forms of bipolar II disorder and benefit from the same therapy used in bipolar depression. Epilepsy and bipolar disorder share features like episodic course, the kindling phenomenon as possible pathogenic mechanisms and the response to antiepileptic drugs. The study of possible common biological processes like neurogenesis/neuroplasticity, inflammation, brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor, hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis, provided promising but not consensual results.

Further efforts to understand the link between epilepsy and bipolar disorder could provide the insight needed to find common therapeutic targets and improve the treatment of both illnesses.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The medical treatment of acute mania today mainly includes atypical and typical antipsychotics, lithium or valproat. Atypical antipsychotics are often used as first-line treatment, while typical antipsychotics come with the risk of severe long-term side effects and less used today. However, typical antipsychotics may lead to a faster reduction in the severity of mania or a faster remission of symptoms.

To investigate whether the acute effect of typical antipsychotics differs from atypical antipsychotics measured by a daily mania rating-scale (MAS-M) and duration of treatment in a real-life clinical setting.

To help determine if short-term treatment with typical antipsychotics may still be of benefit in the acute treatment of mania.

This is a retrospective case record study. Patients admitted to an acute hospital ward with acute mania between 2012 and 2015 were included (n = 100). The daily use of atypical and typical antipsychotics will be compared by daily change in Bech-Rafaelsen Modified Mania Scale (Mas-M) score and time to discharge. The change in mania over time is presented visually using graph curves.

The data extraction and data handling will be executed in the winter 2015–2016.

Any preliminary findings will be presented at EPA 2016.

Metacognition is described as the set of human abilities that allows us to recognize and think about own and other people's mental states. We use these skills in order to overcome psychological and interpersonal issues and to cope emotional, cognitive and behavioral suffering. Studies that focusing on metacognition in bipolar disorder (BD) are still limited and data are controversial. Our purpose is investigating the difference between BD patients and BD patients with alcohol addiction (BD + A), in terms of metacognitive functions. In addition, we want to assess among BD + A whether the increase in metacognitive functions mediates the relationship between symptoms at T0 and T1.

Forty patients were recruited for this study. A set of tests was performed on each patient to formulate a metacognitive and clinical evaluation. A single measurement was performed on 20 BD patients. Two measurements (T0–T1) were carried out on the 20 BD + A patients, after an integrated treatment.

Data shown significant differences between these two groups. As regards the treatment of BD + A patients, differences were found between T0 and T1. Among the BD + A patients, reduction in the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS-SC, P 0. 042) scores between T0 and T1, leads to the prediction of symptom improvement.

Our results confirm the existence of a specific profile of metacognitive functioning in these patients. Our results reveal that the metacognitive functions appear to be predictors of the improvement in the remission of symptoms.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

This is a case-control study which was conducted in children below 12 years of age from June 2013 to May 2014 at outpatient child psychiatry clinic at Elhussin Hospital Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

The study was based on 62 cases and 30 controls. The data collection instrument included socio-demographic & Children Attention and Adjustment Survey (House form){CAAS}. And interview by (Diagnostic Interview Kiddie-Sads-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) to exclude other psychiatric morbidity. clinical data, serum 25(OH) Vitamin D. Descriptive statistical analysis were performed, Pearson Chi2 test (χ2) and Student (t) test.

1-Vitamin D level was much lower in ADHD children compared to healthy children, and was a significant difference in the mean values of vitamin D between ADHD(23 ± 13) and control group means (44 ± 12) and P value was > 0.001 and was significant difference between subgroup of ADHD, means of inattentive subtype was(20 ± 13) hyper active subtype (30.1 ± 5)and combined subtype(24.04 ± 4). P value 0.011*.

Children with ADHD had significantly lower levels of VITAMIN D than healthy, and inattention subtype than other types of ADHD.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Most children experience some degree of fear during their development. Excessive fears can create serious obstacles to children. The aim of this study was to identify the most common fears in a sample of children and adolescents and examine the socio-demographic correlates of fears.

This cross-sectional study was conducted during the period July 2010 to February 2012 at Public and Private Schools of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, in Qatar. Out of 2188 students approached, 1703 students agreed to participate in this study, with a response rate of 77.8%. The questionnaire includes socio-demographic information, academic performance, behaviour at home and various fears.

More than half of the children experienced fears (56.7%). Most of them were in the intermediate level, 12–15 years old (46.1%). Overall, reported fears were significantly more frequent in girls (62.6%) than boys (37.4%) (P < 0.001). A significant difference was observed between girls and boys who experienced fears in their age group (P < 0.001), education of mother (P = 0.04), household income (P = 0.008) and academic performance (P < 0.001). The most frequent reported fears were fear of someone dying in the family (85.2%), parents getting divorced (84.5%), breaking religious law (82%), being kidnapped (78.2%), family members ill (78%) and dying (76.7%).

The study findings revealed that fears were highly prevalent in Arab children and adolescents in Qatar. Girls reported more fears than boys. There was a significant difference observed between girls and boys in their age group and academic performance for the reported fears.

The author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

This is a mixed method study. Firstly, a series of in depth interviews addressed French youth psychiatrists’ opinions towards prognosis. Participants worked in a variety of settings, public institutions, private practice, and student help. Secondly, an online survey investigated French psychiatrists’ opinion toward prognosis. The survey consisted of the presentation of a clinical vignette in which a psychiatrist communicates on prognosis to a young patient with acute psychotic symptoms. The vignette was randomly shown in four versions with different predictions and outcomes. Respondents were then asked questions regarding prognosis communication.

Qualitative analysis stresses psychiatrists’ uncertainty in their daily work with teenagers presenting unclear symptoms that might be the sign of a beginning psychotic process or might as well reflect adolescent unease. Psychiatrists are reluctant to commit into prognosticating or using standardized tools. The contradiction between the expectations that psychiatrists be able to predict what will happen to a young patient and their impossibility to do so, raises an ambivalence that is only managed through a deep emotional involvement. The survey received more than 400 answers, and statistical analysis is in progress.

The author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

Somatic symptoms disorders (SSD) are one of the most neglected areas in child and adolescent psychiatry (Mohapatra et al., 2014). SSD are characterized by multiple and variable physical symptoms without demonstrable pathophysiological processes. Literature has investigated the role of several psychological variables in SSD, with inconclusive data. Moreover, there is a paucity of studies on middle-childhood and early adolescence in this clinical condition.

We focus on the role of attachment and on psychological aspects in children with SSD.

The aims are to verify the presence of:

– an overrepresentation of attachment disorganization in these children;

– an overrepresentation of psychological symptoms.

Fifty-six consecutive Italian patients with SSD, aged from 8 to 15, were administered Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991) and Child Attachment Interview (Shmueli-Goetz et al., 2000).

Findings showed:

– a significant presence of disorganized attachment with respect to both parents;

– high levels of anxiety and depression.

This study extended previous research in middle-childhood and early adolescence in SSD. The findings support the influence of the disorganization aspects and the psychological problems surrounding the SSD. The clinical implications for future research directions are discussed.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

An overlap between autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in particular Asperger Syndrome (AS), and high intellectual potential (HIP–Total IQ > 2 SD) is often discussed.

Explore differences between homogeneous and heterogeneous Wisc-profiles among HIP children, and between HIP and ASD children, on cognitive and clinical assessments.

Forty-nine participants (mean age 11.2 years) were divided in 4 groups: High Functioning Autism (HFA), AS, Homogenous HIP and Heterogeneous HIP. Data of WISC-IV and questionnaires – Autism Quotient (AQ), Empathy Quotient (EQ), Systemizing Quotient (SQ), Children's Communication Checklist (CCC) – were compared.

On the WISC-IV, the Z scores curves follow similar trajectories but highlight quantitative differences between AS and heterogeneous HIP: verbal comprehension is the highest index (+1,6 SD in AS; +3,1 SD in heterogeneous HIP) followed by perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed indexes (–1,2 SD in AS; +0,5 SD in heterogeneous HIP), respectively. The questionnaires show that scores of Homogenous HIP children are all in the average. Heterogeneous HIP children score 2,1 SD above average on the AQ (+1,6 SD on “Social Skills” and +1,3 SD on “Local Detail” subscales), whereas ASD children score 4 SD above average on the AQ. In addition, heterogeneous HIP children show pragmatic difficulties (–2,4 SD on the CCC, with a peak on “Area of Interest” subscale), also present in ASD children (–4 SD).

AS and heterogeneous HIP children show similar cognitive profiles on the WISC-IV. Furthermore, heterogeneous HIP children exhibit high scores on the AQ and have pragmatic difficulties.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Many research focus on the study of language in ADHD children. However, the discourse is beyond the language and provides access to child representations of the world, to its own history. The aim of our study was to compare and analyze the self-narratives during a family meal.

Speeches of 5 children (6–10 years) were recorded, analyzed and then compared to a strictly matched control group. Once transcribed, the data were morphosyntactically annotated and processed using multivariate exploratory techniques. A thematic analysis was also realized to understand how ADHD children moved from one conversation topic to another.

Our first results showed that ADHD children have more difficulty in producing self-narratives while they are doing something else (eat). Moments of sharing common stories are less frequent compared to the control group. The transition from one topic to another is made by direct associations (e.g. the child talks about what he is eating, and this leads him to think about the next day's dinner). The construction of the self-narratives is poorer compared to the control group, both in content and in length of utterances.

Interestingly, concerning ADHD children, it appears:

• – That these self-narratives exist;

• – but also that they are poorer;

• – that they allow, less frequently than in the control group, projections into the future or recollection of past events.

If ADHD children cannot access to these moments, special attention should be paid to this sharing of family history outside of daily activities.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Trauma experiences during childhood and adolescence (Gibb, 2002; Ansel et al., 2011; Musliner et Singer, 2014; Hopwood et al., 2015), the experience of shame (Rubeis et al., 2008; Cunha et al., 2012; Rosso et al., 2014; Stuewig et al., 2015) and gender (English et al., 2004; Rosso et al., 2014) had been considered as predictors of depressive symptoms.

To observe intra-indidual variability of trauma, external shame, gender (as predictors) and depressive symptoms (as dependent variable).

To test the predictive value of trauma, external shame and gender on depressive symptoms at 6 months, in adolescents.

A sample of 325 adolescents (ages ranging from 12–18) completed the Child Depression Inventory, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and Other as Shamer, adolescents version. The results were analysed by the hierarchical multiple regression method (SPSS Inc., 22).

The model – shame (b = 0.63; P < 0.001); affective abuse (b = 0.15, P = 0.001), gender (b = 0.12; P = 0.001), sexual abuse (b = 0.12, P = 0.002), and emotional neglect (b = 0.10; P = 0.013) – explained 63% of depressive symptoms variance.

The data indicate that the higher the level of shame and trauma, the higher the level of depressive symptoms at 6 months. The present study can add important information that sheds light to the role of mechanisms underlying the vulnerability to depressive symptoms and that might have impact in the existing therapeutic interventions.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

During last 10 years, the number of non-suicidal self-injury patients (NSSI patients) in Department of Adolescent Psychiatry of Medical University in Łódź has doubled (from 20 to over 40%). According to DSM-5 criteria, NSSI are deliberate and superficial skin injuries. Such behaviours should be distinguished from suicidal behaviour disorder (SBD). However, the two display the high rate of co-occurrence.

The study covered 1300 patients (12–19 years of age) hospitalized during last 6 years. The analysis included various variables, e.g. demographic, familial, problems related to school and to peer relations, and variables describing NSSI.

The analyzed group consisted of 60,4% girls and 39,6% boys. Out of 43% of patients who performed NSSIs, 45% also confirmed BDS. The patients with diagnosed mental retardation and with schizophrenic psychoses performed significantly fewer NSSIs. The instrumental motive was the most frequently declared reason of self-injury (76%). The reactive (65%), and the illness-related motives (only 15%) were less frequent. In comparison to patients without self-injuries, the NSSI patients significantly more frequently (P < 0.05) experienced physical violence, unreciprocated love, played truant and repeated grades. Conflicts, delinquency, divorce, and lack of a sense of support were significantly more frequent in the family systems of NSSI patients. They more often experienced loss of their parent before age 15 and had close relatives suffering from mental disorders.

NSSI is a multi-dimensional issue that requires further research. Indicating potential risk factors allows for implementing efficient prophylactic, diagnostic and therapeutic actions.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

One in ten children and adolescents experience mental health difficulties at any given time, yet only one third of those suffering access treatment. Untreated mental illness predisposes to longstanding individual difficulties, and presents a great public health burden. Large scale initiatives to reduce stigmatization of mental illness in children and adolescents, identified as a key deterrent to treatment, have had limited success, and research is scarce.

To gain a better understanding of the stigma experienced by children and adolescents with mental health difficulties.

We conducted a systematic review of the literature examining stigma and self-stigma towards children and adolescents with mental health difficulties, in order to better understand the extent and type of discrimination directed towards this particularly vulnerable group.

Following PRISMA guidelines, the databases Pubmed, PsychINFO and Cochrane were searched for original research published between 1980 and 2014, assessing public stigma (i.e. the reaction of the general public) and self-stigma (i.e. internalized public stigma) towards children and adolescents with mental health difficulties.

Thirty-seven studies were identified, confirming that stigmatization towards children and young people suffering mental health difficulties is a universal and disabling problem. There was some variation by diagnosis and gender, and stigmatization was for the most part unaffected by labelling. Self-stigmatization led to more secrecy and avoidance of interventions.

The findings confirm that stigmatization of mental illness is poorly understood due to a lack of evidence and methodological discrepancies. Implications of the findings are discussed, and suggestions made for future research.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate burden of main caregivers in children with epilepsy and to identify factors associated with caregiver burden.

Main caregivers of pediatric patients with epilepsy were enrolled four general hospitals in several cities of Korea. One hundred and twenty-fou caregivers of patients were included in this cross-sectional study. Sociodemograhic/clinical characteristics of patients and sociodemographic characteristics of caregivers were collected. The caregivers were assessed using the Korean version Zarit burden Interview (ZBI), Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression Scale (CES-D) and social support/conflict scale. Multiple linear regression methods were used to evaluate factors contributing to burden of caregivers.

Of the 124 participants, 98(81.7%) were the mothers. The mean score on the ZBI and CES-D were 23.66 (± 19.15) and 13.87 (± 12.95) points, respectively. Factors affecting of caregiver burden were the number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), which patients are taking, and CES-D score by multiple linear regression analysis.

Higher number of AEDs prescribed and depression of caregivers are main factors contributing to burden of caregivers in children with epilepsy.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.