Epilepsy is not a mental illness, nor is it an incurable condition. It is a chronic disease characterized by sudden abnormal discharge of brain neurons, leading to transient brain dysfunction; with standardized and reasonable treatment, about 70% of patients can achieve good control of their condition.
Director Zhang Xiuyun of Beijing Chaoyangmen Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital pointed out: in consultations, it was found that many epilepsy patients bear a heavy psychological burden. Under the multiple pressures of fear during seizures, concerns about quality of life, and societal misunderstandings, it is easy to develop anxiety, depression, and other psychological issues, which in turn increase the likelihood of epilepsy seizures.
## Excessive Emotionalization Prone to Trigger Epilepsy ##
Epilepsy patients with overly diverse emotions, such as emotional tension, can trigger seizures; when patients are overly emotionally tense, the symptoms of epilepsy seizures become more pronounced, leading to greater suffering.
Sudden intense mental stimuli or prolonged inner conflicts may cause neurochemical imbalances in the brain, resulting in abnormal excitation of brain cells and triggering epilepsy seizures.
Moreover, abnormal discharges may also form fixed excitatory foci, leading to recurrent abnormal discharges and causing recurrent epilepsy seizures; additionally, due to the prolonged nature of the disease, epilepsy patients often lose confidence in treatment, develop feelings of inferiority, experience emotional depression, and adverse stimuli from society and families may lead to severe psychological disorders.
Director Zhang Xiuyun reminds: epilepsy is just a disease. With professional treatment, clinical cure can be achieved; there is no need to feel ashamed or inferior because of the illness. Maintaining a positive psychological state, building self-confidence, all of these play a significant role in the recovery process of the condition.
## Scientific Understanding Maintaining Mental Health ##
1. Seek help from professional doctors: Physicians can not only provide treatment plans for epilepsy but also provide professional guidance and psychological support tailored to the patient’s mental condition to avoid unnecessary panic and misunderstandings, thereby reducing the psychological burden.
2. Foster a positive attitude towards life: Cultivate and strengthen a positive attitude towards life through self-motivation, sharing experiences, and other means to better cope with difficulties, enhance courage and confidence in facing the illness.
3. Cultivate hobbies and interests: Whether it’s music, reading, or any other hobby, interests can help shift the focus from the disease to positive aspects, thereby reducing excessive attention to the illness.
4. Prepare mentally for emergencies: In daily life, it is necessary to make more preparations, establish a good mindset for dealing with emergencies, and try to ensure that one can control emotions when facing real events.
