Can Epilepsy Surgery Cause Mood Problems?
Although epilepsy surgery will hopefully eliminate your seizures, it is not uncommon to experience depression after surgery. Even if you did not have a mood disorder before surgery, you may have psychological distress afterwards. This appears to be related to the biological changes in your brain caused by the surgery. (An additional factor may be the adjustment you have to make to a life without seizures, which will be a big change.) If the surgery cures your epilepsy, the mood disorder usually disappears. In the meantime, the mood problems may require treatment with medication and/or psychotherapy. It is important to continue to see your neurologist regularly after the epilepsy surgery, even if you are seizure free. In most cases, the long term benefits of successful epilepsy surgery outweigh the risk of developing a mood disorder after surgery. For most patients, mood symptoms improve after epilepsy surgery.
