- Epilepsy is a tendency to have recurring seizures.
- There are many different seizure types and seizure syndromes. Epilepsy is not just one condition; there are many forms of epilepsy.
- Epilepsy can affect anyone. Any age, any background, any level of intelligence.
- Around 2 per cent of people will develop epilepsy at some stage in their life, around 100,000 children and adults in Queensland.
- A much larger number of family, friends, class mates and colleagues may also be affected.
- Epilepsy in not contagious.
- Many people with epilepsy still say the biggest problem they face is dealing with the attitude of others. Ignorance, stigma, discrimination and fear are still major problems.
- One in ten people will have a single seizure at some stage in their life. One seizure is not necessarily seen as epilepsy.
- A large proportion of children who have epilepsy will grow out of it by adulthood.
- Most people with epilepsy can live a perfectly normal life and do most things everyone else can do, with the help of simple safety measures where appropriate.
- People with epilepsy in Queensland can drive provided they meet licensing regulations, their seizures have been controlled for a certain length of time, they do not drink alcohol and they take their epilepsy medication as prescribed.
- Terminology and labels to be avoided that may help reduce stigma:
- Illness - epilepsy is a neurological condition, not an illness.
- Disorder -epilepsy is a disease, not a disorder.
- Fit - the term seizure is preferred. There are many different types of seizures. A convulsion is a term for a seizure involving stiffening and jerking of the body. ‘Fit’ implies willful outbursts, like a ‘tantrum’, or loss of emotional control.
- Victim or sufferer – this implies someone who is helpless. Most people with epilepsy want your understanding, but not your pity.
- Epileptic – the person is a human being first, a person with epilepsy second. A person with epilepsy is a more appropriate term to use. Like most of us, people with epilepsy dislike labels. These feelings can be explained by the phrase ‘epilepsy is what I have, not who I am’.
- Grand Mal or Petit Mal – these are terms once used to describe seizures. We now understand there are many different types of seizures, so these terms are too general, outdated and inappropriate to use.
- Controlled – seizures may be controlled with medication. The term ‘controlled epileptic’ implies the person needs to be restrained in some way.
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