Epilepsy is a chronic, non-communicable neurological disorder that affects people of all ages. According to the World Health Organization, around 50 million people worldwide live with the condition and nearly 80% of them are in low and middle-income countries. They are three times more likely to die of premature death and three-quarters of epileptic people in low-income countries do not get treated.
Many of them are discriminated and stigmatized, which leads to missed moments and opportunities. The stigma can be linked to several factors. Most of the time, it has become the defining feature of the identity of people with epilepsy, which is a significant concern for many patients.
Lakhan Kale, 9, cannot hear or speak and suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, so his grandmother and carer tied him up to keep him safe while she went to work, selling toys and flower garlands on the city's roadsides.
International Epilepsy Day 2022
The world has dramatically improved from the Mesopotamian civilization to ancient Egypt, and today's pandemic-stricken world. More so, science and technology have evolved and advanced, societies have grown, and the healthcare system has revolutionized. Despite these improvements, societies with thousands of years of experience still cannot accept people suffering from epilepsy.
The International Epilepsy Day 2022 is celebrated on February 14, the same day as Valentine's Day, and yet any epilepsy patient would say that love is hard to find when they are stigmatized and discriminated against by the whole world for their condition.
According to Economic Times, epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder that affects people of all ages. Unfortunately, most cases are never diagnosed. One of the major known causes of epilepsy is a brain injury, head trauma, trauma at birth, brain's developmental malformation, brain tumor, stroke, fluctuating blood sugar and blood sodium levels. Family members who also have a history of epilepsy, meningitis, or encephalitis infection are red flags for the condition.
Fortunately, there are recent advancements in treatment options and state-of-the-art epilepsy centers in different parts of the world to help many patients live seizure-free life.
Types of Epileptic Seizures
Seizures occur when a burst of electrical impulses in the brain exceeds the usual limits and spreads to neighboring areas, creating an uncontrolled storm of electrical activity, WebMD explains. These impulses are transmitted to the muscles that cause twitches or convulsions.
Some types of seizures are focal seizures that either involve with or without loss of consciousness, and the generalized seizures can be divided into six kinds: absence, tonic, atonic, clonic, myoclonic, and tonic-clonic seizures.
Fighting Stigma in Epilepsy
According to Epilepsy Foundation, stigma can come in different forms. People suffering from epilepsy can feel great unhappiness from stigma as they are being left out of parties or any social events because the parents of their friends are afraid of handling seizures. Sometimes, it can also get in the way of a child with epilepsy having friends or being bullied or teased by their peers.
A local Epilepsy Foundation can help address stigma and discrimination concerns in the community with their advocacy program of fighting the rights of people with epilepsy both in the legal system and the media. The foundation also collaborates with Harlem Wizards basketball playe Mike "Mighty Mike" Simmel, who also suffers epilepsy, and started the "Bounce Out the Stigma" program.
Read also: Mozart Effect: Scientists Explain Why This One Song Relaxes Brain Activity of Patients With Epilepsy
Check out more news and information on Epilepsy in Science Times.
