Epilepsy reason behind mental disorders: Expert

Hoshiarpur, October 17

Even as the WHO has declared epilepsy a global burden, the psycho-social problems and comorbidities are poorly understood. According to the WHO report, nearly 10 per cent of the global burden of brain and mental disorders is caused by epilepsy.

Dr Swati Garg, consultant-neurology at Ivy Hospital stated on Saturday through a virtual meet that disorders of anxiety and depression are common. Due to seizures unpredictability, inability to recall the event and the helplessness of not being able to control the seizure, persons with epilepsy live in constant fear, she maintained.

The persons with epilepsy would report decrease self-esteem, anxiety and depression. They are also marginalised from education, occupation and marriage opportunities, she pointed out.

The diagnosis of epilepsy is challenging for families as they try to deal with loss of perfect child and experience increased depression, anger, guilt, helplessness and frustration, she informed.

Persons with epilepsy would tend to underperform in education and occupational functioning and have poor mental prospects. Children with epilepsy tend to have low academic performance. — OC