Objective: Mood disorders (MDs), particularly depression, are often encountered in epilepsy and may negatively affect the treatment and prognosis of the disease. Investigations into the etiology of MDs and the qualities of at-risk groups have revealed that affective temperament characteristics are antecedents of MDs. In this study, our objective was to investigate whether affective temperament characteristics were predictors of MDs in epilepsy patients. Thus, we aimed to establish a first step to determine preliminary parameters for an approach to the comorbidity of epilepsy and MDs.

Methods: In total, 73 epilepsy patients and 79 healthy controls were included in this study. The participants were evaluated using the Turkish version of the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) and the Structured Clinical Interview of DSM Disorders (SCID-I).

Results: Epilepsy patients produced high scores in all affective temperament characteristics except hyperthymic temperament. Anxious and irritable temperaments were observed more frequently in epilepsy patients, and anxious temperament was found to be associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). Fourteen participants in the epilepsy group and 6 participants in the control group were diagnosed with MDD. Anxious temperament was determined to be a predictor of MDD.

Conclusion: Although it has been shown previously that epilepsy patients tend to suffer from MDs, for the first time, this study has demonstraed that epilepsy patients also tend to have affective temperaments. MDs, particularly depression, are frequently observed in epilepsy patients as comorbid disorders, and they have an adverse effect on epilepsy treatment and prognosis. Determining the predictors of MDs in epilepsy patients may improve the current approach toward at-risk groups and lead to better prognoses.