Psychiatric disturbance in the families of epileptic children.

The rates of psychiatric disturbance among the parents and school-age siblings of two groups of epileptic children, one newly diagnosed and one with chronic epilepsy, were compared with those of adults and children in the general population. Siblings of children in the newly diagnosed group were no more disturbed than children in the general population, whereas those of children with chronic epilepsy were. The parents of both groups were no more disturbed than adults in the general population, but there was an association between disturbance in the chronically epileptic children and increased psychiatric morbidity among their mothers. Professionals involved in the care of epileptic children should be aware of the effects on the psychological health of other members of the family, and of ways of helping the child and the family to cope with the illness.