Bibliometric analysis of research in epilepsy and comorbid depression from 2014 to 2023

Abstract

BACKGROUND Epilepsy and depression have complicated bidirectional relationships. Our study aimed to explore the field of epilepsy comorbid with depression in a bibliometric perspective from 2014-2023. AIM To improve our understanding of epilepsy and depression by evaluating the relationship between epilepsy and depression, bibliometric analyses were performed. METHODS Epilepsy and depression-related publications from the last decade were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. We conducted bibliometric and visual analysis using VOSviewer and CiteSpace, examining authorships, countries, institutions, journals of publication, co-citations of references, connections between keywords, clusters of keywords, and keywords with citation bursts. RESULTS Over the past ten years, we collected 1045 research papers focusing on the field of epilepsy and comorbid depression. Publications on epilepsy and depression have shown a general upward trend over time, though with some fluctuations. The United States, with 287 articles, and the University of Melbourne, contributing 34 articles, were the top countries and institutions, respectively. In addition, in the field of epilepsy and depression, Professor Lee, who has published 30 articles, was the most contributing author. The hot topics pay attention to the quality of life in patients with epilepsy and depression. CONCLUSION We reported that quality of life and stigma in patients with epilepsy comorbid with depression are possible future hot topics and directions in the field of epilepsy and depression research.