常見問題

Myths

The Facts

You should force something into the mouth of someone having a seizure.

Absolutely not! That's a good way to chip teeth, puncture gums, or even break someone's jaw.

The correct first aid is simple Just gently roll the person on one side and put something soft under his head to protect him from getting injured.

You should restrain someone having a seizure.

Never use restraint!

The seizure will run its course and there is no way you can stop it.

Epilepsy is contagious.

About as contagious as a mosquito bite!

You simply can't catch epilepsy from another person.

Only kids get epilepsy.

Epilepsy can happen to anyone at any age.

Epilepsy can start in seniors who are aged over 65 almost as often as it does to children aged ten and under. Seizures in the elderly are often the after-effects of other health problems like stroke, heart disease, dementia etc.

People with epilepsy are disabled and can't work.

People with the condition have the same range of abilities and intelligence as everyone else. Some have severe seizures and might not work; but many others are successful and productive in challenging careers.

People with epilepsy shouldn't be in jobs of responsibility and stress.

People with seizure disorders are found in all walks of life and at all levels in business, government, sports, the arts and the professions. You aren't always aware of them because many people, even today, do not talk about having epilepsy for fear of what others might think.

With today's medication, epilepsy is largely a solved problem.

Epilepsy is a chronic medical condition and many people might be successfully seizure-free. Unfortunately, the treatment doesn’t work for everyone and there's a critical need for more research.

Epilepsy is rare and there aren't many who have epilepsy.

Epilepsy isn’t rare with over 50 million people world-wide being affected by it. It might occur as a single condition, or may accompany many other conditions affecting the brain, such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer's, and traumatic brain injury.

You can't die from epilepsy.

Epilepsy can sometimes be a very serious condition and individuals do die of it. Experts estimate that prolonged seizures when the brain is in a state of persistent seizure (status epilepticus) is the cause of epilepsy deaths throughout the world each year.

You can't tell what a person might do during a seizure.

Seizures commonly take a characteristic form and the individual will do much the same thing during each episode. Though the behaviour may be inappropriate for the time and place, but it is unlikely to cause harm to anyone.

People with epilepsy are physically limited in what they can do

In most cases, epilepsy isn't a barrier to physical achievement, although some individuals can be more severely affected and may be limited in what they can do.

Having a person in the family with  epilepsy is a stigma, so this

fact should be hidden.

Unfortunately, the stigma against people with epilepsy

and their families continue to be widely prevalent.

Many epilepsy organisations including Enlighten-Action for Epilepsy are making efforts to remove this stigma through education and training.