[Emotion dysregulation and psychopathology in epilepsy].

Numerous studies show that the incidence of mental disorders among people with epilepsy is higher compared to people without such a diagnosis. However, these disorders are still neither diagnosed early enough nor properly treated. Inefficient and rigid emotion regulation catalyzes many mental disorders. The purpose of the present article was to analyze some of the psychological variables which are crucial for emotion regulation among people with epilepsy. The main part of this article was prepared on the basis of the analysis of the results of studies published in the MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases and concerning epilepsy and mental health. The introduction refers to epilepsy in terms of biopsychosocial approach. Then, the role of emotion regulation in the development of mental disorders in previous studies was analyzed. The contribution of psychological diagnosis and psychotherapy was described. In the further part of the article the following psychological variables were considered: attachment styles, defense mechanisms, alexithymia, as well as tendencies to experience sadness, anxiety and anger in people with epilepsy. Based on discussed studies, it can be concluded that many patients with epilepsy report numerous complaints about worsening of their emotional, cognitive and social functioning, which is reflected in significantly lower quality of life in this group. Therefore, assessment of mental state of patients is essential for proper diagnosis and treatment. In the summary, it was emphasized that when evaluating diverse psychological variables, such as personality traits or emotion regulation patterns, it is possible to draw some conclusions about the inclination of patients with epilepsy to develop specific mental disorders. Combining pharmacological treatment with psychotherapy can bring improvements not only in terms of psychopathological symptoms, but also in terms of the quality of patient's cooperation with the doctor.