Risk Factors for Psychosis Secondary to Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Systematic Review

This systematic literature review identified important risk factors for psychosis secondary to temporal lobe epilepsy, including early age at epilepsy onset, history of status epilepticus, hippocampal sclerosis, and left-hemisphere abnormalities. Inconsistencies in defining and diagnosing epileptic psychoses were apparent in the studies reviewed.

The authors critically reviewed all relevant peer-reviewed quantitative research pertaining to the risk factors for psychosis secondary to temporal lobe epilepsy, carrying out an extensive literature search to identify all relevant research studies, and applying specific exclusion criteria; the search yielded 27 original research articles for critical review. These studies were individually assessed for methodological quality. Authors reached consensus on a number of important risk factors for psychosis, including early age at epilepsy onset, history of status epilepticus, hippocampal sclerosis, and left-hemisphere abnormalities. Inconsistencies in defining and diagnosing epileptic psychoses were apparent, as well as the sole use of case–control, cross-sectional, and/or retrospective study designs. There remains a need for research using consistent classification criteria and longitudinal study designs.