Myths about Epilepsy

Buceph · 13-02-2012 01:21PM

fluorescence wrote: »

Myth - It's a mental illness.

FALSE. It is a neurological condition, and has nothing to do with mental health. It's not like you can "catch" it it either from having a mental illness.

I don't get this. It's of the brain and it's in the DSM, which is a pretty good definition of mental illness.

noodletop · 13-02-2012 01:27PM

Another urban myth is to place a spoon on the tongue of the person, to stop them swallowing their tongue.Doing so is not advised as the person can bite very hard during the turn and cause them to break their teeth in the process usually it is advised to try turning them on to their side to avoid this happening.
My father has had Epilepsy since i was a child and regularly had several seisures,His Epilepsy was caused by a fall in which he hit his head on concrete.
He has seen nearly every doctor out there about it and is like a walking pharmacy every day but nothing seems to help stop the seizures.
If you know someone suffering from the condition its best to get proper advice and do some sort of first aid course to help you understand the situation.

ps i am over with my da now and told him the few jokes that i saw on thread he nearly pissed himself laughing:D

Fluorescence · 13-02-2012 01:27PM

Buceph wrote: »

I don't get this. It's of the brain and it's in the DSM, which is a pretty good definition of mental illness.

Here's a quote I pulled from epilepsy.com to try to answer your question:

We now understand that epilepsy (commonly called 'the epilepsies') is a group of disorders that occurs as a result of seizures that temporarily impair brain function. Epilepsy is not a 'one size fits all problem'. It can look, feel and act differently in different people. It is much more common than previously thought and is one of the more common neurological problems affecting people of all ages..

...

<snip>

...

People with epilepsy are not mentally ill.

Epilepsy is not the same as mental illness and in fact, the majority of people with seizures do not develop mental health problems. Yet recent research is showing that problems with mood, such as anxiety and depression, may be seen more frequently than previously thought. The causes are not always known. In some people, the cause and location of the seizures may affect certain brain areas and contribute to mood problems. In others, side effects of treatments and the challenges of living with epilepsy may affect a person's feelings and behavior. If these problems occur, a variety of treatments are available.

I don't know if this answers your question or not, but epilepsy is not considered a mental illness. The main reason I can think of is that most mental illnesses are caused by chemical imbalances and such, whereas epilepsy is caused by too much electricity in the brain at a given moment in time that overpowers the senses.

starbelgrade · 13-02-2012 01:32PM

mattjack wrote: »

]

Is that contagious? the stupidity ? very

Believe it or not - it is actually possible to suffer from epilepsy and have a sense of humour.

Morag · 13-02-2012 01:33PM

Cianos wrote: »

Pretty sure you're unable to get a drivers licence if you have epilepsy.

If the person is on medication and had been seizure free for two years they can get a drivers license,
but it gets reviewed.

Buceph · 13-02-2012 01:36PM

fluorescence wrote: »

Here's a quote I pulled from epilepsy.com to try to answer your question:

I don't know if this answers your question or not, but epilepsy is not considered a mental illness. The main reason I can think of is that most mental illnesses are caused by chemical imbalances and such, whereas epilepsy is caused by too much electricity in the brain at a given moment in time that overpowers the senses.

Not really. Mental disorders aren't just about "chemical imbalances" but are to do with the entirety of the brain. I can see why a patient lobby group would want to separate themselves from the broader "mental illness" stigma, but it doesn't make it so. The definitive book on "Mental Disorders" is the DSM, and that includes epilepsy in it.

Edit: It's not Epilepsy that's in the DSM, it's the seizures themselves. My mistake.

liliq · 13-02-2012 01:36PM

lastlaugh wrote: »

Can someone who has epilepsy ever legally drive a car or are you automatically banned?

Limit in Ireland is 6 months now...

smash wrote: »

You can bring someone out of a seizure by administering diazepam rectally. If you wanted to of course.

There's an oral spray now as well. Had it for my ex but I can't remember the name of it. They only recommend anything like that once the seizure has been going on for 5 minutes,

Cianos wrote: »

If someone has a seizure, how can you tell it's epilepsy and not something else, that may require intervention?

You can't... a very high percentage of people (can't remember the exact number, it's probably on the Brainwave website) will experience a seizure at some stage during their life for various reasons.

"Grand mal" seizures- the shaky ones, are now called "tonic clonic"... apparently calling a seizure "big bad" is not PC

AH mode/ what do you do if someone is having a seizure in a bath?
Throw in your washing.

What do you call an epileptic in a wheelchair?
A transformer. /AH mode

It was my ex with epilepsy (in hospital after 3 bad seizures yesterday

) that told me those jokes...

Morag · 13-02-2012 01:36PM

Buceph wrote: »

I don't get this. It's of the brain and it's in the DSM, which is a pretty good definition of mental illness.

The DSM is out moded and needs to be up dated to reflect the rapidly expanding field of neurology and the advances it's made due to better diagnostics.

Fluorescence · 13-02-2012 01:40PM

Buceph wrote: »

Not really. Mental disorders aren't just about "chemical imbalances" but are to do with the entirety of the brain. I can see why a patient lobby group would want to separate themselves from the broader "mental illness" stigma, but it doesn't make it so. The definitive book on "Mental Disorders" is the DSM, and that includes epilepsy in it.

Edit: It's not Epilepsy that's in the DSM, it's the seizures themselves. My mistake.

I'm not a medical professional so I can't say why exactly epilepsy is not categorized as a mental illness. All I know is that my brother is treated by neuroscientists and not psychiatrists

Nice ninja edit there :P

Buceph · 13-02-2012 01:43PM

fluorescence wrote: »

I'm not a medical professional so I can't say why exactly epilepsy is not categorized as a mental illness. All I know is that my brother is treated by neuroscientists and not psychiatrists

Nice ninja edit there :P

Nah, it's only a ninja edit if the time stamp doesn't appear and I leave out the "edit:" part.

I had the tests for epilepsy done. Brain scans, modules connected to my skull, flashing lights, the whole lot.

cocoshovel · 13-02-2012 01:51PM

Wait, why would anybody look negitively at anybody who suffers from it? People really are gigantic díckheads.

Fluorescence · 13-02-2012 01:58PM

cocoshovel wrote: »

Wait, why would anybody look negitively at anybody who suffers from it? People really are gigantic díckheads.

Seizures can be very distressing and disturbing to watch for people who have never seen one before. It's pretty frightening.

old hippy · 13-02-2012 02:06PM

I suffered from epilepsy from the age of 18 up until around 29. It was mild, I'd only ever have one or 2 seizures a year; brought on by tiredness/stress/not eating/over indulgence. I was on medication which made no difference whatsoever, so I stopped taking it. I'm in my 40s now and I've not had a seizure in such a long time. My heart does go out to those who suffer seizures everyday of their lives. It's a condition that can exhaust you and leave you very depressed, to say the least.

I looked at an old medical journal from around 140 years ago; the treatments for epilepsy were then: incarceration in an asylum, minor lobotomy or castration :eek::eek:

Temptamperu · 13-02-2012 02:09PM

One of my brothers used to take seizures it was very frightening the first time. But its best to give them plenty of space and let them trash it out so to speak.
I wouldnt like to have it myself though, it would be terrifying thinking it could happen at any moment.

Fluorescence · 13-02-2012 02:09PM

old hippy wrote: »

I suffered from epilepsy from the age of 18 up until around 29. It was mild, I'd only ever have one or 2 seizures a year; brought on by tiredness/stress/not eating/over indulgence. I was on medication which made no difference whatsoever, so I stopped taking it. I'm in my 40s now and I've not had a seizure in such a long time. My heart does go out to those who suffer seizures everyday of their lives. It's a condition that can exhaust you and leave you very depressed, to say the least.

I looked at an old medical journal from around 140 years ago; the treatments for epilepsy were then: incarceration in an asylum, minor lobotomy or castration :eek::eek:

They were also separated from the other patients in an asylum because it was believed to be contagious, or a religious curse of some kind that might taint those around them.

woodoo · 13-02-2012 02:10PM

Everybody knows its really people possessed by evil... stone the witches.

old hippy · 13-02-2012 02:11PM

fluorescence wrote: »

They were also separated from the other patients in an asylum because it was believed to be contagious, or a religious curse of some kind that might taint those around them.

Although I am sometimes convinced we are living in an age of unprecedented superstition and ignorance, I am certainly pleased not to have been around back then, lest I be left brainless and ballsless in bedlam...

Super-Rush · 13-02-2012 02:14PM

All the "funny" jokes have been removed.

I don't want to see anymore.

old hippy · 13-02-2012 02:20PM

El Pistolero wrote: »

All the "funny" jokes have been removed.

I don't want to see anymore.

Ach, they'll only head over to that Jeremy Clarkson thread to offend someone else...

I have a great sense of humour; I laugh at idiots who reckon epilepsy is a source of amusement

Kidchameleon · 13-02-2012 02:21PM

Are people consious when having a seizure?

kath12 · 13-02-2012 02:24PM

El Pistolero wrote: »

All the "funny" jokes have been removed.

I don't want to see anymore.

I have a son with this condition, he got it when he was 16 years, as a baby he was likely to get a convulsion if he had a high temperature, the doctor never associated this with his present condition. luckily the medication he is on completely controlls his condition. he has started to go to discos, and my worry is in case he drinks too much as this will deleat the effect of his medication .

Fluorescence · 13-02-2012 02:25PM

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Are people consious when having a seizure?

Some people report being able to see what's going on around them but not hear anything, other people report the opposite. Others say they see a lightshow or hear random sounds/music. Some people can't remember even having a seizure at all.

Everyone experiences it differently, so it's hard to say.

billymitchell · 13-02-2012 02:29PM

Myth - You can stop a seizure.

FALSE. This is an extremely dangerous myth. NEVER try to restrain someone having a seizure. Clear a space around them and let them come out of it in their own time.

Should you not put something underneath their head to stop them from banging it off the ground. Then put them in the recovery position when the seizure has finished

old hippy · 13-02-2012 02:29PM

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Are people consious when having a seizure?

I always used to know seconds before a seizure, I'd try (not always successfuly) to sit/lie down. I'd experience a feeling of deja vu & next thing you know, I'd be waking up being put onto the ambulance. Always embarrassing - eventually I'd just say to a friend/colleague who was there - "I've had another seizure, right?"

Fluorescence · 13-02-2012 02:32PM

billymitchell wrote: »

Should you not put something underneath their head to stop them from banging it off the ground. Then put them in the recovery position when the seizure has finished

If their head is thrashing around a lot, yes. What I meant is not to try to physically restrain the person by holding them still.

The recovery position isn't really necessary unless the seizure was particularly long or violent. You can if you want to though

2qk4u · 13-02-2012 02:34PM

My son has Sleep Deprivation Epilepsy, he is not a affected by flashing lights, he plays xbox games and goes to the pub and night clubs.
He has been told he can learn to drive once he is one year seizure free.
Most of the time when he has a seizure he falls forward and smashes his face of anything that gets in the way, he has scars, broken teeth, missing teeth, broken nose and plenty of bumps.
I have found it very hard to come to terms with the injuries he gets and the fact that he could die at any time if he has a seizure at the wrong time, top of the stairs, crossing the road ect.. I can handle the seizure itself and the recovery period but I live on my nerves with the dangers associated with this condition.

Dermighty · 13-02-2012 02:35PM

In before Seizure Robots!

InkSlinger67 · 13-02-2012 02:36PM

Epilepsy is great, I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants their life ruined.

Wrong forum btw.

Chuck Stone · 13-02-2012 02:40PM

Silas Marner was a fierce man for the seizures.

Conor Bourke · 13-02-2012 02:41PM

liliq wrote: »

There's an oral spray now as well. Had it for my ex but I can't remember the name of it. They only recommend anything like that once the seizure has been going on for 5 minutes.

Buccal Midazolam?

I lost my beloved brother Colm/JIZZLORD to Sudden Death in Epilepsy (SuDEP) in September 2010, he had only had a formal diagnosis of epilepsy for one month prior to his death but had been experiencing seizures for a few months previous.

Colm was a lot like me- pragmatic and practical, no time for excuses or feeling sorry for himself. He found Brainwave to be very helpful to him in the first few days following his diagnosis and from then his attitude was "Sure I'll be fine, just gotta work around this". Sadly this was not to be for him.

If you see volunteers selling roses/pins for Brainwave, please pick one up, or if you have time have a little look at the Brainwave website to learn a little more about what is Ireland's most common neurological condition.

Thank you

/ghey

Myths about Epilepsy

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