Prevalence of Depression Among Patients with Epilepsy in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: To assess the pooled prevalence of depression among epilepsy patients and find the associated demographics and psychosocial factors. Mood disorders are significant comorbidity between patients diagnosed with epilepsy, adversely influencing quality of life and complicating disease management. However, the incidence, prevalence, and associated risk factors of depression in patients diagnosed with epilepsy in Saudi Arabia are not well elucidated. Methods: This review was employed used studies retrieved from medical databases and the Saudi Digital Library. Observational and cross-sectional studies assessing depression between patients diagnosed with epilepsy in Saudi Arabia were included. Data were analyzed using the Freeman–Tukey double arcsine transformation model for pooled events using random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistics, and publication bias was determined by Egger's test and visualized via funnel plots. Results: Eleven articles were included, with 2,534 patients with epilepsy from various Saudi Arabian regions. The pooled incidence rate of depression between patients diagnosed with epilepsy was 33%. Subgroup analyses showed incidence rates of 20.1% for mild degree, 14.9% for moderate degree, and 6.6% for severe degree depression. No statistically significant association was found between male participants, generalized epilepsy, and depression. Conclusions: Depression mood is highly prevalent between patients diagnosed with epilepsy in Saudi Arabia, with significant variations observed across gender, regions, and clinical characteristics. Our findings spotlight in the need for integrated mental health screening and interventions within epilepsy care. Addressing stigma, optimizing medication management, and enhancing psychosocial support could substantially improve outcomes for this population.