Epileptics have much higher suicide rate

Those who suffer from epilepsy are quite a bit more likely to take their own lives according to a report out of Denmark this week.

The increased risk? About 300% over the normal population. And, the risk was five times the normal rate if diagnosis was half a year or less. Doctors were warned to watch those that had just been diagnosed with epilepsy, although I would think it is hard for "doctors to watch patients" -- unless I am missing something here.

The study looked at people who died of non-suicide causes between 1981 and 1997 and those who took their own life during the same period. That is when the suicide rate correlation was discovered. Going further, the report found that those who had been diagnosed recently with both a psychiatric illness and epilepsy had a suicide rate of 29 times the norm.