Depression may play a bigger role in epilepsy than once thought.Two new studies show depression not only makes epilepsy harder to treat — it may also raise the risk of developing it.A national analysis of more than 90,000 insurance claims found patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy and depression were 40% more likely to fail their first antiseizure medication within the first few months.That means they stopped taking the drug, switched to a different drug or supplemented it with another drug.This group also saw much higher rates of other mental health conditions, including anxiety, sleep disorders, psychosis, and bipolar disorder — and more physical health problems like lung disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and heart failure, according to the results.A second analysis of 8 previously published studies found people with depression were about 2 ½ times more likely to be diagnosed with epilepsy at a later point.According to the lead author, the link may involve shared brain networks, stress, inflammation, or sleep issues but more work is needed to understand the biology.Dr. Howard Goodkin, president of the American Epilepsy Society says, “The bottom line is good depression care supports brain health.”These findings were presented at the 2025 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter