5 Things I Wish People Would Stop Believing About Epilepsy

In the past, I’ve written an article about the top stigmas that surround epilepsy. But today I want to revisit that topic, and talk about five more things that I wish people wouldn’t believe about epilepsy.

(And don’t worry, there won’t be any repeats. So if you haven’t already read the stigma article, then feel free to check it out after this for more myth busting.)

I wish people would stop believing that all seizures are the same…

Because of how epilepsy is represented in pop culture, many people fall into the trap of believing that every seizure is a tonic clonic. But this is far from being true! In fact, there are over thirty different types of seizures.

A few examples of other common seizures would be…

• Myoclonic seizures, which present as muscle twitches or jerks. Sometimes these affect small areas of the body and are hardly noticeable. But sometimes they can affect an entire arm, leg, etc and be more obvious.

• Absence seizures, which resemble someone “zoning out”. These usually last a few seconds, but during this time the person won’t be fully conscious. So they’ll simply stare into space until the seizure is over, and will not remember anything afterwards.

• And simple partial seizures, which are sometimes called ‘auras’. These seizures often precede other types of seizures, and can feel like a variety of things. Including tingling, a strange feeling (bad, good, or anywhere in between), and even smelling something that isn’t there.

There are, of course, many other types of seizures that I could go into. But I think those three provide a good example of the range there can be.

I wish people would stop believing that everyone who has seizures has epilepsy…

Similarly to how people associate tonic clonics with epilepsy, and assume there aren’t any other types of seizures. Some people completely associate seizures with epilepsy, and assume there aren’t any other causes for them! But this is also incorrect.

In reality, there are a few different reasons why someone might have a nonepileptic seizure. Ranging from psychological reasons to heart conditions. And in children, seizures can even be brought on by a fever!

So it’s important to remember that not everyone suffering from seizures has epilepsy.

I wish people would stop believing incorrect first aid facts in regards to seizures…

Some of the most dangerous misconceptions that exist in regards to epilepsy, are related to seizure first aid. Because at the very least, these ideas could keep a person who’s having a seizure from receiving the proper treatment. And it could potentially even make the situation a LOT worse. To the point of being harmful or deadly.

A couple examples of the dangerous first aid techniques I’m referencing are…

• To stick something in the person’s mouth to keep them from swallowing their tongue. (It’s physically impossible to swallow your own tongue during a seizure. But sticking something in someone’s mouth during this time could hurt their jaw, teeth, or even present a choking hazard.)

• To hold the person down and try to restrain them. This doesn’t do any good, as the body will still keep shaking during a seizure no matter what. So all you’re doing by restraining the seizing person is risking injury to them or you.

Side Note - What you should do instead is lay the person on their side, put something soft under their head, try to keep them away from harmful objects, etc… But for more information on correct seizure first aid, you can check out this article.

I wish people would stop believing that epilepsy is a death sentence…

People who haven’t educated themselves on the reality of epilepsy can sometimes form one of two opinions. Either that epilepsy is a death sentence, or that epilepsy isn’t serious at all.

And despite these two opinions being on the opposite side of the spectrum from each other, they’re both wrong!

Epilepsy is not a death sentence, in fact, it’s far from it. Epilepsy does increase your chances of dying, however, it’s rarely the cause of someone’s death in the long run.

Of course, mortality rates will vary depending on the type of epilepsy a person has and how controlled it is. But many people with epilepsy have a similar life expectancy to everyone else.

But on the flip side, none of this means that epilepsy isn’t a serious issue. It is, in more ways than one. Even aside from the mortality rates, it’s serious because it can impact someone’s quality of life.

So I wish that people would start to see epilepsy in more of a gray, instead of a black or white. It might not be as horrible as some people think, but it’s not as easy as others assume.

I wish people would stop believing that people with epilepsy are any less capable than anyone else…

If there’s one misconception about epilepsy that truly hurts me (especially as a mother to a child with the condition) it is the belief that people with epilepsy are somehow less than other people and can’t accomplish as much.

Because, although it’s true that people with epilepsy do have a unique set of problems that not everyone else does, that doesn’t automatically mean that they’re not capable! 

My daughter is still able to do most things that other kids her age can do, with the exception of driving. But of course, I’d be ignorant to brush over the fact that there is a range of severity with epilepsy. As there is with most things in life.

There are people with epilepsy who have it much worse than my daughter. In some cases, badly enough that the condition is marked a disability. But there are also people who have even more controlled epilepsy than my daughter. For instance, there are many people with epilepsy who can still drive.

But the point I’m trying to make here is that an epilepsy diagnosis doesn’t always limit someone as much as some people think. And even when it does, the person suffering from the condition still has value to offer the world. In spite of their limitations.