A lot of Malaysians have misconceptions about epilepsy, and do not know what to do when they see a fitting person.
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By Dr Nur Hidayati
Myth 1 You need to put a spoon or cloth to stop a fitting person from biting his/her tongue. You also need to restrain them so they cannot hurt themselves.
Do not do this you may obstruct his/her airway and cause him/her to choke. You can cause more harm by doing so. Other than causing them to choke, you may end up injuring their gums, breaking their teeth or even their jaw! Do not restrain them. What you should do is to put a fitting person in the left lateral or recovery position. Cushion their head so that they do not injure their head on any hard surface. Remove dangerous objects like broken glasses or scissors away from them so that they could not accidentally hurt themselves while they were having a fit. If fits occurred by a busy roadside, in the water or any environment that can endanger them you need to move him/her to a safer place.
Myth 2 People with epilepsy are crazy, spiritually possessed, have bad blood or victims of black magic. No medication can cure them.
There is a lot of stigma associated with epilepsy and because of this misconception many chose to suffer in silence and did not seek medical help. Epilepsy is a medical condition and not due to black magic or spiritual possession. Symptoms of seizures can be difficult to handle but can be controlled with medications. For certain patients with a type of focal epilepsy, they can even be cured with brain surgery.
Myth 3 Epileptics or people suffering from epilepsy are stupid and disabled.
Epilepsy can occur as a single condition, or may accompany other conditions affecting the brain such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, Alzheimers, and traumatic brain injury. So yes many epileptics are considered mentally and socially disabled because of their associated conditions. But not all of them are disabled. In fact, many have the same range of abilities and intelligence as the rest of us. Some may have severe seizures and because of that, they could not work. There are also others who have only occasional mild seizure or seizure-free under the control of medications, who managed to excel in their work.
Myth 4 Epileptics cannot lead a normal life. They cannot work, cannot marry and have kids.
More:
Myths about Epilepsy