How to support someone with epilepsy

If you know someone who has epilepsy, you may be able to make a significant difference in their emotional wellbeing and quality of life by learning how to help them.

Epilepsy is an uncommon neurological illness that affects the brain and causes epileptic seizures.

According to the Epilepsy Society, one in every 50 individuals in the United Kingdom will be diagnosed with epilepsy at some point. There are over 40 distinct types of epileptic seizures, so each person’s symptoms can vary considerably.

Epilepsy can be isolating. Without the appropriate support, it might be just as bad. In this post, we’ll discuss some of the difficulties that people with epilepsy confront and how you can help them.

Common challenges faced by people with epilepsy

Epilepsy may strike people at any moment, but it is not the only symptom they experience. Epilepsy has both physical and emotional effects. The way a disease affects one person’s life might be entirely different from how it affects another.

Physical challenges

The major symptoms of epilepsy are experienced before, during, and after a seizure. Depending on the kind of seizure and its severity, seizures can produce a variety of symptoms. People with epilepsy face a significant obstacle in dealing with the unpredictability of seizures since they are unable to predict when one will happen.

Seizures can have a variety of signs and symptoms, including:

• Inability to remain conscious
• Limbs are shaken back and forth during this procedure.
• Falling over
• Experiencing “out-of-body” feelings
• For example, consider how astronauts lose substantial amounts of time while they are in space:
• Headaches
• Confusion spasms have a three-month cycle.
• Tiredness

Epilepsy’s physical symptoms can be felt throughout the body, and it can have an emotional impact as well.

Emotional challenges

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting 1% of the population. It causes recurring seizures and other symptoms, such as head tremors, sensations of changes in temperature or mood swings. For some people, being identified as having epilepsy can bring about a variety of life changes that they are unable to control.

Those who have epilepsy are unable to drive for fear of having a seizure behind the wheel. People with epilepsy should avoid flashing lights, open water, heights, and pointed objects in case they have a seizure.

If their epilepsy is not controlled, they may be forced to make the difficult decision to stop doing things that they love until then. If they work in a job that involves driving or is considered high risk for someone with epilepsy, the disease might even have an impact on their career.

People who have epilepsy may experience feelings of powerlessness and worry about when their next seizure will occur. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, anxiety and sadness are particularly widespread among those who suffer from the disease.

This can make people with epilepsy worry, unhappy, confused, stressed, and furious. Add to this the fact that some individuals suffer from a depressed mood, sleeplessness, or anxiety before having a seizure, and you have an understanding of how epilepsy may affect one’s mental health.

How to support someone with epilepsy

The two most effective things you can do for someone who has epilepsy is to be there for them and to study the condition. Understanding what people with epilepsy go through will help you to exhibit empathy and confidence if they have a seizure in your presence.

Knowing that you can identify the warning signals that someone with epilepsy is about to have a seizure and give first aid may offer the person with epilepsy some comfort and peace of mind.

CBAT’s training on epilepsy

At CBAT, we offer a popular three-hour online epilepsy education course for anybody who wishes to learn more about the illness. Our program is well-liked by both companies that care for people with epilepsy and individuals whose loved ones have been diagnosed with the condition.

Educating yourself on epilepsy and how to respond if someone is having a seizure might assist you in supporting your loved one while also improving their quality of life.

Note that although there are many benefits for you to understand more about the disease, it is important to be mindful when speaking with people who have epilepsy. They may not welcome questions or comments on their condition.

After all, knowledge is power and, in this case, the power belongs in the hands of those affected by epilepsy. Imagine if someone you had never met started asking your personal questions about your sexual health. 

If somebody tells you they have epilepsy, treat them like any other person without assuming anything except for what you’ve learned through our training course.

To learn more about how CBAT can help you work with people who suffer from disabilities such as epilepsy, why not contact CBAT for more information.