A Cross-Sectional Study Which Measures the Prevalence and Characteristics of Prisoners Who Report a Family History of Epilepsy

Abstract

Epilepsy is often a familial disorder, although it is not known if relatives of an epileptic proband suffer from any psychological disorders, even without a clinical manifestation of epilepsy. The present study considers this concept in the setting of the largest male prison in Europe, HMP Liverpool. The study formed part of the National Prison Needs Assessment Survey, and consisted of a cross-sectional, questionnaire study. There was a high response rate, and the results indicate that prisoners have a high prevalence of a family history of epilepsy. The study also showed that prisoners who report such a history have significantly more psychological symptoms than those prisoners without such a family history. The conclusion is that the psychological health of relatives of those with epilepsy requires further investigation because the morbidity is higher than expected and may be associated with offending behaviour.