SOCIAL ASPECTS

Further to medical treatment, persons with epilepsy face stigma, misunderstandings, labelling and discrimination

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Witnessing a seizure can be devastating for someone unfamiliar or uninformed.

FearSuperstitionMisconceptions

continue to influence on societal attitudes and behaviour towards those having epilepsy

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Onset of epilepsy in newborn

Trauma for parents They are anxious to know how this will effect

their child Feel sense of helplessness to protect child

from harm Often times they over-protect their child Instances where epilepsy is kept as a ‘family

secret’ which in turn increases anxiety

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Impact on:There is an impact on:

Cognitive development

Emotional development

Psychological development

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Childhood/School age

Child realises he/she is differentIn certain countries children are not

deemed fit to go to school and they are denied education.

Starts to face prejudicial attitudes and treated differently than peers

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As a reaction to the attitude around them children with epilepsy revert to aggression in order to fight back or else isolate themselves in order to avoid having to explain what they are going through and feel safe in their own company.

Both scenarios result in the child becoming a social outcast.

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Undiagnosed absence seizures

When epilepsy is not as yet diagnosed, especially in the case of absence seizures children are often labeled as being lazy, unresponsive and not interested.

Such attitudes provoke havoc in the child’s emotional development

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Participation

Sometimes adults are reluctant to take responsibility for children with epilepsy ‘just in case something happens’ for fear of not knowing how to manage seizures.

This often happens during outings, sports and aquatic activities.

Again child is made to feel different and inadequate.

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Adolescents

Adolescent want to explore, do new things, experiment and feel free.

It’s a time when they defy society in order to assert themselves

Yet because of epilepsy, they lose friends, labeled as being drug addicts, left out of activities.

They have to struggle more than their peers in order to attain their goals and objectives

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During this journey the hurt, discrimination and prejudice effect their characters.

This makes it difficult for them to interact and to approach people.

Epilepsy commonly effects young people in the most productive years of their lives

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Building a family

Legislations in various countries affecting PWE has reflected centuries of suspicion and misunderstanding about epilepsy

Pre-conceptions regarding marriage, sexual function and relationships

Examples : China + India – reason for prohibiting or annulling

marriages United Kingdom – law forbidding marriage up to 1970 U.S.A. – prohibited marriage, last state repealed this law

in 1980. Up to 1956 18 states provided eugenic sterilisation of PWE. Up to 1970 it was legal to deny PWE access to public places.

Parents many times hinder such relationships

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Employment

Economic and financial burdens are not uncommon to people with epilepsy due to low education levels therefore they obtain low paying jobs or are unable to find employment.

Many are culturally conditioned to underrate themselves

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Should they divulge that they have epilepsy?Research shows that many times it can

prove to be a disadvantageEven though there is legislation against

discrimination re disability, employers still find a way to be negatively selective.

Denied promotions or pay risesDifficult to prove malpractices

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Senior years

Ailing health, mood swings

Life long side effects of anti epileptic drugs are more accentuated

Underlying attitude that epilepsy is at the core of things going wrong

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Conclusion

Education is the ultimate solutionDirect contact with persons having

epilepsy helps people to look at them as individuals and not as people having a condition

Teaching First Aid helps to eradicate the fear of the unknown and empowers people to manage seizures

THANK YOU