EPILEPSY

   

                           

                  WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF EPILEPSY ON THE LIVES OF PATIENTS ?

                      Did you know that epilepsy, a disease one in every 100 people has, is one of the most common diagnosed neurological diseases among children and teenagers? It is a neurological disease characterized by recurrent seizures. Epilepsy and especially these seizures cause many problems in the lives of patients. If we examine how epilepsy negatively affects the daily lives of patients in three separate headings: we can talk about its negative impact on mental health, social life, and working life.

                      Firstly, having mental health problems is one of the most common negative effects of this disease. Because odds of the occurrence of seizures is unpredictable and risky, epilepsy causes anxiety in patients.. Another mental health problem ,which is common among the patients, is depression. The brain activity that causes seizures can lead to depressive moods. Furthermore, being treated differently because of epilepsy worsens feelings of depression. Therefore, mental disorders like anxiety and depression are affecting patients’ life negatively..

                      Another important effect of the disease is impacting patients’ social life. The frequent misunderstanding of epilepsy leads to stigmatization of patients and the risk of social discrimination. Society's prejudice against patients, anxiety about what people will think when they have a seizure in society can lead to stress and adjustment problems for patients. And as a result, all these causes and consequences cause people with epilepsy to experience difficulties in their social lives and interactions.

                                 

                     Lastly, the disease of epilepsy has a lot of negative effects on patients’ working life. First of all, patients who face the risk of having seizures at work are stressed by fearing that this situation will occur in the presence of their employer and colleagues, so their self-confidence in their work life decreases.. Secondly, from the employer's point of view, hiring an individual with epilepsy is considered a loss of productivity.. In sum, for these reasons, epilepsy disease affects patients in a negative way when it comes to finding a proper job and working.

                       Epilepsy has many negative effects, the most important three of them are its negative impact on mental health, social life and working life. Individuals with epilepsy disease face stigma and prejudice in society. Thus, patients feel excluded and isolated. In addition to the effects of the disease, along with the fear of the constant risk of seizures, and the desire for acceptance affect patients in a psychologically negative way. As a conclusion, epilepsy patients face negative factors in their lives due to their diseases in many ways, and these difficulties can be caused by society as well as the disease itself.

Resources:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17636-epilepsy

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ane.12014

https://d.be/RxgZJA625QQ?si=_ZN8m3XSj3yO_U9v

https://youtu.be/BtaqcQxmx8Y?si=8zBHGO7f-x255H10

https://images.app.goo.gl/jpBYsUTQoK82deHz7

https://images.app.goo.gl/6GKRnrh9wt9WX4eF6

https://youtu.be/RxgZJA625QQ?si=f19kTkcG_OSZKBKf