- Epilepsy is wrongly
surrounded by fear, prejudice and misunderstanding.
- Epilepsy is common.
- Epilepsy does not
necessarily limit expectations or achievements.
- Epilepsy can be managed.
Epilepsy can affect anyone at any age. The
cause is often not known and there is no known
cure. There is medication that will help keep
seizures under control but for many a seizure
free life is not theirs to enjoy.
As teenagers today search
for individuality and acceptance amongst the
harsh reality of acne, dating and peer pressure,
they are faced with an additional challenge
- epilepsy.
“For teenagers,
the key to understanding and accepting their
peers with epilepsy is to increase awareness
of what the condition is and how to respond
if someone they see has a seizure,” says
Paul Mullin, M.D., Associate Director of Epilepsy
Monitoring Unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
A new survey of nearly
20,000 teens across America conducted by the
Epilepsy Foundation reveals that a lack of understanding
and awareness of this common neurological condition
contributes to discrimination and teens inability
to recognise or respond to someone they see
having a seizure.
“While most people
have heard of epilepsy, many do not know enough
about it to be comfortable around people that
they know have it, much less respond appropriately
to someone having a seizure in front of them,”
says Dr. Mullin,” By educating the community
about the condition as well as how to respond
to a seizure, we feel teens will be less likely
to reject or make fun of other teens with epilepsy.”
Dr. Mullin’s longtime
patient, 24-year-old Elizabeth Saft recalls
the challenges she faced as a teen with epilepsy.
“I never talked about my epilepsy to my
peers in school,” she says, “I was
kind of a loner. Since I was treated differently
by my classmates, and especially my teachers,
I escaped the isolation by creating my own reality.
I’m very imaginative, so losing touch
with reality and imagining myself being able
to be anything and do anything was my way of
dealing with being different.”
For many years, Elizabeth
experienced a number of misdiagnoses and poor
medication management that resulted in more
seizures.
“I don’t
have seizures anymore because I’m regulated
by medication. But when I was having more frequent
seizures when was younger, I never knew when
it was going to happen. They would often
happen at school or in public places.”
The survey also indicated
that over two-thirds of teens would not know
what to do if someone around them had a seizure.
“Because of the
stigma attached to this disorder, many people
with epilepsy choose to keep their condition
secret from the rest of the world. Even though
the person with epilepsy may be well aware of
activities or stimuli that trigger seizures,
the people around them most often do not. So
in the event of a seizure, witnesses to the
episode are often unprepared or panicked.”
says Dr. Mullin, “Epileptic seizures can
vary in frequency and severity. Since episodes
are impossible to anticipate or prepare for,
it’s critical that the general public
have a basic understanding of how to respond
safely if it happens to someone near them.”
(http://www.teensforjc.com/understanding_epilepsy.htm)
Remember
- People with epilepsy
can come to terms with their condition.
- Accept that in most
cases people with epilepsy lead regular lives.
- Peers generally should
be accepting that epilepsy is not something
to be feared.
You can learn more about
epilepsy at Understanding Epilepsy.
Or why not phone or email
us. We can help!!
Australia-wide
PriorityCall
1300 EPILEPSY
(1300 37 45 37)
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