Epilepsy: myths and facts
There is no reason to treat a person with epilepsy any different from any other person
JUNE 16-22 is National Epilepsy Week and this year’s theme is “Who has Epilepsy”.
Epilepsy SA celebrates this week annually, with National Epilepsy Day on June 21 each year. This day being winter solstice (longest night and shortest day), the association strives to take epilepsy out of the shadows of misconception into the light of understanding and acceptance.
People with epilepsy have the same range of abilities and intelligence as people without epilepsy. Some have severe seizures and cannot work; others are successful and productive in challenging careers and/or sport.
There is no reason to treat a person with epilepsy any different from any other person. Most of the time you will not even know that a person has epilepsy if he has not told you. Without that knowledge, would you have treated him differently?
The goal of the campaign is to create awareness and to give people a chance to take a few minutes and think about how they treat people with epilepsy.
Q: Are there any myths regarding Epilepsy?
A: Yes, there are several widely accepted myths and misconceptions. The most common are:
MYTH: People with epilepsy cannot excel in things that require physical or intellectual work, such as business and sport;
MYTH: Persons with epilepsy cannot work;
MYTH: People with epilepsy should be treated differently;
MYTH: People have epilepsy because someone did something wrong;
MYTH: People have epilepsy because they are bewitched;
MYTH: Epilepsy is contagious.
Q: What exactly is epilepsy and what causes epilepsy?
A: Epilepsy is not a mental illness or psychiatric disorder. Epilepsy is not infectious or contagious. It is a physical condition characterised by unusual electrical activity in the brain.
It is a symptom of a neurological disorder and shows itself in the form of seizures.
In about 66% of cases the underlying cause of epilepsy is unknown. This is called idiopathic epilepsy.
In the rest of the cases the underlying cause can be identified. This is called symptomatic epilepsy. With symptomatic epilepsy there can be different underlying causes such as a result of head injury that can occur at any age; birth injury (such as lack of oxygen during birth); alcohol and drug abuse;
degeneration (getting older), and metabolic or biochemical disturbances or imbalance.
Q: Who can get epilepsy?
A: Anyone can develop epilepsy at any stage of their lives.
Q: What type of seizures can occur?
A: There are several types of epilepsy which are generally divided into two main categories, namely generalised seizures and partial seizures.
Generalised seizures occur when the excessive electrical activity in the brain encompasses the entire organ, during which there may be loss of consciousness.
Partial seizures occur when the excessive electrical activity is limited to one area of the brain, which causes either simple partial seizures or complex partial seizures.
Q: What should one do if someone has a seizure?
A: Remain calm and be reassuring. The person may be unaware of the seizure. Time how long the seizure lasts but remember that a seizure cannot be stopped.
Protect the person from injury. Cushion the head. Do not restrict movement or put anything into the person’s mouth. Loosen any tight clothing and remove glasses (if possible).
Help breathing by putting the person on his side in the first aid recovery position. Stay with him until fully recovered. Remove harmful objects and (if possible) guide the person away from danger.
After the seizure, talk quietly to reassure him until fully recovered, bearing in mind that the person may be confused.
Call an ambulance if the seizure lasts longer than six minutes.
Inform the person what happened once fully recovered to enable him to record this information in the seizure diary – an invaluable aid to the medical team.
Q: Why is awareness such a big part of the organisation’s work?
A: Very few people have sufficient information or in some cases have no knowledge about epilepsy. Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition. About one in every 100 people in South Africa has epilepsy.
Q: What services does Epilepsy South Africa offer to people with epilepsy?
A: The main focus and function is to advocate for the rights of people with epilepsy through education, empowerment and consciousness. For example, they provide training about the condition to people with epilepsy and the general public.
In addition, they offer advocacy and human rights training to people with epilepsy and other disabilities to enable them to intercede in terms of their condition and their human rights.
The right to work and earn an income is a basic human right described in our country’s constitution. Epilepsy South Africa strives to address employment imbalances in terms of people with epilepsy.
Epilepsy South Africa further guarantees that people with epilepsy have access to social security in terms of disability grants, healthcare and the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle.
Rehabilitation care focuses on residential facilities to ensure that people with epilepsy receive sufficient physical and emotional care.
Q: What challenges does Epilepsy South Africa face on a daily basis?
A: As a non-profit organisation they are dependent on funding for all their projects and in recent years funding has significantly diminished.
Q: With the disability grant we get in our country, do people have questions about epilepsy and whether it is recognised as a disability?
A: Epilepsy meets the requirements of the term disability as determined in the Employment Equity Act and is thus considered to be a disability.
People with epilepsy applying for disability grants must follow the process prescribed by SASSA if he/she is unable to work and earn an income.
People with disabilities are also included in labour legislation relating to affirmative action. As such, employing a person with epilepsy will not only contribute to his personal development and independence, but also be beneficial to the employer.
Q: What are your organisation’s contact details?
A: People can contact their nearest Epilepsy South Africa branch by dialling the share call number: 0860 EPILEPSY (0860 374 537), visiting www.epilepsy.org.za or following them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/epilepsy.southafrica) or Twitter (@EpilepsySA).
