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Dispelling some Myths and Prejudice about
Epilepsy.
- Epilepsy is not selective, it can
affect anyone at any time.
- Epilepsy is not contagious, it never has been and
never will be.
- There is no correlation between epilepsy and levels
of intelligence. Some people with epilepsy are extremely clever, others
are of average ability and there are some who have learning difficulties.
- Epilepsy is not a mental illness, seizures are merely
symptoms of physical problems within the brain.
- Epilepsy is not necessarily an inherited condition.
It is true that it can be genetically inherited but more commonly
there is no family history of epilepsy. In the majority of cases inheritance
only plays a limited role.
- Epilepsy does not have to be a bar to success, there
are many people with epilepsy who enjoy highly successful lives.
-
Epilepsy is not always a life long condition. Many people who have
been free of siezures for three or four years have their medication
withdrawn under close medical supervision and remain seizure free
for the rest of their lives. Surgery can sometimes be successful
in eliminating certain types of epilepsy.
- Seizures do not necessarily cause brain damage, there
is no evidence to suggest that short single seizures cause permanent
brain damage. Certain types of long duration (over 30 minutes) can
however injure the brain.
(Hart. G.RGN Rogan. P
MBE 1995) A diagnosis of epilepsy P.3.
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British
Epilepsy Association
This website is well constructed, it provides information
about coping with epilepsy. There is free help and advice through
e-mail and free-phone help lines, the staff aren't medically trained,
but, are well educated in giving advice on epilepsy. The
news section on current issues about epilepsy is second to none, it
also has dated archive of past news. It's facts section on epilepsy
is very in-depth. There is a section on medication
used to control epilepsy and their side affects, which is a worry
to many people with epilepsy.You can become a member of "BEA"
which has a number of benefits, one of which is £1000 personal accident
insurance. There is also a chat section where you can chat with other
people with epilepsy; it is a very friendly place to be.
Parts of this sites' contents were based on observations,
on how epilepsy affects peoples lives, other sections are based on
theories on how epilepsy can be controlled. There's also some facts
about epilepsy this site is aimed at the professional person doctors
etc. and general public alike.
I would like to thank
the BEA (http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/) for giving me access to their
site and permission to use there site logo 22/03/01.
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Epilepsy
Wales
Epilepsy Wales was set up to help and
provide information for people with epilepsy in Wales, their families
and carers. The site gives a brief description about epilepsy, it
has a news section - fund raising projects etc. This could be improved
by providing dates to the news as you can't tell how current the news
is.They are also trying to promote epilepsy awareness in schools.
There is a good network of field workers, who you can contact for
advice on epilepsy, benefits and support, this again could be improved
as there is no information on the site on how to contact the f ield
workers.
The organisation was formed in the early
1980s, it became a charity in 1986. There was a study in 1994 into
the services provided for Epilepsy in Wales, sponsored by the Welsh
office, the outcome was few services were available. Epilepsy Wales
applied to the National Lottery Charities Board for a three year grant
to set up a net-work of field workers, which was approved. This is
a charitable organisation in Wales to help people with epilepsy.
I would like to thank
Epilepsy Wales (http://www.epilepsy-wales.co.uk/) for giving me access
to their site material and use of their logo 22/03/01.
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St.Piers
St Piers, the national centre for children and young
people with epilepsy and other neurological disorders, which is in
partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. St Piers
provides a learning environment for up to 200 young people with epilepsy.
There is also an assessment service, usually six weeks, it's aim is
to give detailed diagnostic information, in-depth evaluation of personal,
social and educational skills. They then provide recommendations for
education and care. The site gives infomation on how to contact them
through mail, e-mail and by phone. Their aim is to educate and help
their patients get into a normal way of life, also helping the older
patients get into the work place.
Further information
about these services is available on request details can be found
on the site.
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NINDS
This site is well constructed, it provides
information on most forms of neurological disorders. I have linked
to part of the site which provides an indexed booklet on seizures,
seizure disorders, and epilepsy. The site was compiled by the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The information
on this site has been constructed from an accumulation of many professional
papers on epilepsy. If you are concerned in any way about epilepsy
this booklet is well worth a read, it covers all aspects of epilepsy.
All of the information
on this site is in the public domain I
would still like to thank NINDS (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/index.htm)Website
Redesign Project Manager for his assistence 23/03/01.
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EPILEPSY
RESEARCH GROUP
The Epilepsy Research Group (ERG) is
a group of three institutions in the Greater London area; The Institute
of Neurology, The National Hospital for Neurology and National Society
for Epilepsy. They research all aspects of clinical and the basic
scientific basis of epilepsy. The site gives a lot of information
about the medical side of epilepsy, EEG's, & MRI's. There is a
report
of the groups history which has some interesting information on what
has been achieved in the last ten years.
Some of the information on this site
incorporates observations on how epileptic activity can be recorded
using EEG's & MRI's. This site is very technical, if you are a
medical student or work in the medical field the information would
be useful to you.
The source of this information
came form (http://www.erg.ion.ucl.ac.uk/) 23/03/01
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Please send any
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