Ignorance about psychological and neurological illnesses
It really is extraordinary how people can be so adamantly ignorant about epilepsy, and even worse can be in pure denial. Teenagers whose mothers refuse to acknowledge it and won't even write it on medical forms. Doctors who try to pass it off as something else and even prescribe the wrong kind of medication. Friends, family members, classmates, coworkers, and strangers who think it "would be fun to have a seizure" for any reason (go home early, have excuses to leave functions, etc).
In my research and readings, I have come across a fascinating correlation between four distinct disorders: Epilepsy, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and anxiety disorder. In fact, any one of these illnesses can often be triggered (if one has two or more, of course), or caused, by the other. The interesting thing is that epilepsy is not considered a psychological or mental disorder, but a true neurological disorder. However, its symptoms can often correlate with the symptoms of these three distinct mental disorders.
In borderline personality disorder, symptoms can be felt in the temporal lobe in almost the exact way of a partial seizure, for example. A complex partial seizure can often mimic a bipolar episode, usually hypomanic. Seizures can sometimes lead to panic attacks, and panic attacks can sometimes lead to seizures (although, to make this clear, panic attacks and seizures have very marked differences and symptoms, which I shall go into in a moment). Dysphoria is an extremely common symptom of all four disorders, although euphoria is more often felt by temporal lobe epileptics depending on what triggers the seizure. In epileptics, there is often a syndrome known as interictal dysphoric disorder (between seizures). This can sometimes be mistaken for bipolar or borderline, depending on how symptoms are displayed.
Several days ago, after recovering for two full days from a severe complex partial seizure, I had a panic attack. I knew exactly what it was. I felt it in my chest, in my lungs, in my head. I had paranoia, irrational fear, worry, sadness. However, the attack disappeared once Adam helped me calm down. This cannot and does not happen with a seizure.
Something that really fascinates me is that the same medication used for epilepsy is often prescribed to treat the three mental illnesses. I am on Trileptal, which can be used for bipolar, borderline, anxiety, and OCD. A few people I know are on Topamax, and others are on Lamictal, Tegretol, and Lyrica. Again, similar treatments. This is one of the reasons I talk about these four disorders together.
I think I would like everyone who assumes wrong things about any of these illnesses to really take the time to study and understand them. It would be much less irritating/frustrating/annoying. Perhaps then, those of us afflicted can go about our lives without people wondering if we are about to "go crazy" at a moment's notice.
In my research and readings, I have come across a fascinating correlation between four distinct disorders: Epilepsy, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and anxiety disorder. In fact, any one of these illnesses can often be triggered (if one has two or more, of course), or caused, by the other. The interesting thing is that epilepsy is not considered a psychological or mental disorder, but a true neurological disorder. However, its symptoms can often correlate with the symptoms of these three distinct mental disorders.
In borderline personality disorder, symptoms can be felt in the temporal lobe in almost the exact way of a partial seizure, for example. A complex partial seizure can often mimic a bipolar episode, usually hypomanic. Seizures can sometimes lead to panic attacks, and panic attacks can sometimes lead to seizures (although, to make this clear, panic attacks and seizures have very marked differences and symptoms, which I shall go into in a moment). Dysphoria is an extremely common symptom of all four disorders, although euphoria is more often felt by temporal lobe epileptics depending on what triggers the seizure. In epileptics, there is often a syndrome known as interictal dysphoric disorder (between seizures). This can sometimes be mistaken for bipolar or borderline, depending on how symptoms are displayed.
Several days ago, after recovering for two full days from a severe complex partial seizure, I had a panic attack. I knew exactly what it was. I felt it in my chest, in my lungs, in my head. I had paranoia, irrational fear, worry, sadness. However, the attack disappeared once Adam helped me calm down. This cannot and does not happen with a seizure.
Something that really fascinates me is that the same medication used for epilepsy is often prescribed to treat the three mental illnesses. I am on Trileptal, which can be used for bipolar, borderline, anxiety, and OCD. A few people I know are on Topamax, and others are on Lamictal, Tegretol, and Lyrica. Again, similar treatments. This is one of the reasons I talk about these four disorders together.
I think I would like everyone who assumes wrong things about any of these illnesses to really take the time to study and understand them. It would be much less irritating/frustrating/annoying. Perhaps then, those of us afflicted can go about our lives without people wondering if we are about to "go crazy" at a moment's notice.