The Myths and the Facts: Epilepsy

By Bernadette Booysen

This is a captivating, must-read book for everyone, including medical professionals and journalists. This book delves into the myths that I have heard over the years about epilepsy and gives my readers an explanation of the facts and the reasons why the myths are myths. What can a person believe? How can we achieve a better understanding of epilepsy?
This book covers all aspects of epilepsy, including basic mechanisms to diagnosis and management and the social considerations. The content provides a clear, concise and detailed explanation of the most common, yet sometimes shocking, myths about epilepsy.
This book explains all the things that people with epilepsy struggle to understand and can also help their family and friends to better understand the stigmas associated with epilepsy. This book can also be extremely helpful for medical professionals to better understand some of the issues their patients as well as their families deal with on a day-to-day basis.
This is an easily understood, evidence based, guide to the myths and the facts of epilepsy. This book contains multiple aspects about epilepsy and includes different treatment methods for epilepsy. Constructive advice is given to help sufferers manage their condition and to be able to cope with issues and answer other peoples questions about epilepsy. This is a very informative book and so I have decided it will be the first of the Epilepsy series to be published! Happy reading!!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bernadette Booysen
• Release date: Sep 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215798300

Bernadette Booysen

​​​​​​ En primer lugar, Hola, a todos mis lectores y seguidores actuales y futuros. Hace poco decidí comenzar este viaje para difundir la conciencia sobre la epilepsia en el mundo. A las personas con epilepsia, así como a sus amigos y familiares, les resulta difícil encontrar información precisa sobre la epilepsia que las personas "normales" puedan entender. Ahí es donde entran mis libros: explicaciones simples y fáciles de entender sobre muchos temas relacionados con la epilepsia. También escribí una breve autobiografía sobre Mis lecciones y experiencias para mis lectores que estén interesados ​​en mi historia personal y las cosas que he aprendido en mis años de lidiar con la epilepsia en el día a día. Algunos datos sobre mí: Soy esposa de un esposo maravilloso, solidario y comprensivo de veintitrés años, y madre de dos hermosos hijos, una niña y un niño, (bendiciones, ya que me dijeron que nunca podría tener mis propios hijos a causa de mi epilepsia). ¡Soy ama de casa y madre y recientemente me convertí en una autora publicada! Este es un logro increíble para mí, así como para mi familia y amigos que me han apoyado en cada paso del camino. Sé que no parece mucho para la mayoría de la gente, ¡pero vendí siete libros en mi primer mes de haber publicado mi libro! Es maravilloso para mí porque se siente genial saber que al menos siete personas en todo el mundo ahora aprenderán más verdades sobre la epilepsia y podrán difundir ese conocimiento a otros, quienes luego difundirán más conciencia sobre la epilepsia que, con suerte, ayudará a todos a comprender esto. desorden mejor. Gracias a todos los que leen los libros que he escrito. Sé que todos estamos muy ocupados llevando nuestras vidas y no siempre tenemos tiempo para hacer las pequeñas cosas, pero me gustaría rogarle a todos que dejen una breve reseña y un poco de información sobre ustedes y las razones de su interés en epilepsia, incluso si es solo para obtener más conocimiento sobre el trastorno o para encontrar algo interesante sobre lo que leer. ¡Me gustaría saber de ti y de tu historia también! ¡Gracias!

Book preview

Bernadette Booysen

Dedication

This book is dedicated to you, the reader. You are the person who took the  initiative and bought this book to increase your knowledge and awareness of epilepsy as a disorder. It is because of you that we can help others understand, even if it is one little thing, about epilepsy. These myths which are believed by millions of people needed to be explained because the stigma caused by these myths causes people with epilepsy to feel embarrassed about having the disorder and most people with epilepsy suffer from depression and anxiety because of it. So, this book is dedicated to you.

This book is designed to provide information, education and motivation to readers. It is sold with the understanding that the author is not engaged to render any type of psychological, legal, or any other kind of professional advice. The content of which is the sole expression and opinion of its author. No warranties or guarantees are expressed or implied. The author shall not be liable for any physical, psychological, emotional, financial, or commercial damages, including, but not limited to, special, incidental, consequential or other damages. You are responsible for your own choices, actions, and results. You are encouraged to share all, or in part, any of the content of this book in the name of helping others as long as credit is given to Bernadette Booysen and the book title.

The Myths

1.Epilepsy is rare

2.Epilepsy is a mental illness, a form of madness or retardation

3.Put something in the mouth of someone having a seizure to prevent them from swallowing their tongue

4.Restrain or hold down someone who is having a seizure

5.You can make someone ‘snap' out of a seizure

6.Any person diagnosed with epilepsy cannot drive

7.All epileptics lose consciousness and have convulsions

8.Epilepsy cannot be controlled

9.Epilepsy is a lifelong disorder

10.Epilepsy does not kill

11.Only children get epilepsy

12.People with epilepsy are disabled and cannot lead a normal life with a family and children

13.Women with epilepsy cannot have children and should never marry

14.All epilepsy is genetic

15.People with epilepsy are crazy, cursed or  possessed by evil spirits

16.No famous people have had epilepsy

17.People who have epilepsy are not as smart as the average person

18.People who have seizures cannot handle high pressure or highly demanding jobs

19.People with epilepsy appear different and you can spot them on sight by the way they look

20.Epilepsy is often accompanied by other physical ailments, handicaps and disabilities

21.Epilepsy is contagious and the disorder can be passed on by a simple touch

22.Epilepsy cannot be caused by an event that happened a long time before the first seizure even occurred

23.It is possible to predict seizures if you just try hard enough

24.The person having the seizure is in pain during the seizure

25.Epilepsy cannot be effectively controlled

26.Someone with epilepsy brings stigma to the family and so should be concealed

27.Perform artificial respiration on someone who is having a seizure

28.If someone in the family has epilepsy the children will too

29.People with epilepsy may hurt others during a seizure

30.There are laws that prevent women with epilepsy from having children

31.It is not safe for women with epilepsy to get pregnant

32.Epilepsy medications make all birth control methods less effective

33.All birth control methods increase the chance of seizures in women with epilepsy

34.Teens with epilepsy cannot attend college

35.Teens with epilepsy cannot play sports

36.Flashing lights or video games always cause seizures

37.Febrile seizures(brought on by a high fever) cause epilepsy in children

38.A person who has epilepsy or seizures cannot give blood

39.Inflicting scarification can cure epilepsy

40.Applying pepper or other concoctions to the eyes can cure epilepsy

41.Burning feet can cure epilepsy

The Facts

Myth 1: Epilepsy is rare and there are not many people who have it.

Globally, about 2.4million people are diagnosed with epilepsy each year, nearly eighty percent in low and middle income countries. People with epilepsy respond to treatment approximately seventy percent of the time but about three quarters of people with epilepsy do not get the treatment they need.

There are more than twice as many people with epilepsy in the United states as the number of people with cerebral palsy(five hundred thousand), muscular dystrophy (two hundred and fifty thousand), multiple sclerosis (three hundred and fifty thousand) and cystic fibrosis (thirty thousand) combined. Epilepsy can occur as a single condition or may accompany other conditions affecting the brain, such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer’s, and traumatic brain injury.

Epilepsy is a common medical condition. It is estimated that one out of twelve people will have a seizure in their lifetime, and about one in one hundred Canadians have epilepsy. Epilepsy can affect anyone, although it tends to be more common in children and the elderly. Epilepsy is still misunderstood. This makes things more difficult for the many people who live with it, and their family and friends. You can help by learning the facts.

Over 2,7 million people in the United States have epilepsy. It is the third most common disorder after Alzheimer's and stroke. Epilepsy is equal in prevalence to cerebral palsy,  multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease combined. Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition in the world today and does not discriminate from any age, race, socioeconomic or ethnic background.

An estimated fifty million people in the world have epilepsy. The number of people in the world who will have at least one seizure in their lives is estimated to be approximately one hundred million people. In up to seventy percent of people with epilepsy, it will respond to treatment and become controlled over time. In developing countries eighty to ninety percent of people with epilepsy do not receive appropriate treatment.

Epilepsy is actually a very common disorder. About one in twenty people will have at least one seizure in their life. Some people only have one seizure and never have another one. There are others however who have seizures daily!

There are two main types of epilepsy. Petit-mal (now called Focal Onset) and grand-mal. Petit-mal seizures are small seizures where the person jumps or some people even say strange things-people with this type of epilepsy seem to go into a type of trance. There are a lot of people though who have grand-mal seizures which are the full seizures with the falling and shaking commonly known to most people as an epileptic seizure. These seizures can rule your life! When you have one, you cannot do much for the rest of the day because they make you feel weak and tired for a few hours afterwards.

Even though it is such a common disorder, there is not much research being done about epilepsy. There are so many different types so I can understand that it would be a difficult task but is it not possible in this day and age to do something to try to help all the people struggling daily with epilepsy? I sincerely hope that one day they will find a cure for this disorder. So, contrary to the myth, epilepsy is a very common disorder.

Myth 2: Epilepsy is a mental illness, a form of madness or   retardation

Epilepsy is not a form of mental illness and does not cause mental illness. Epilepsy is a physical disorder or condition which affects the brains electrical activity and the nervous system. It is not a mental disorder. Mental retardation and epilepsy may both result from a brain disorder. It is not very often that epilepsy is a