My wife was recently diagnosed with epilepsy. What I've learned in the last 2 years is that media treats epilepsy in an astonishingly simplistic manner. I should not be surprised by this given that we can't all spend our time knowing every subject deeply.
Two quick examples come to mind: photosensitive epilepsy is very rare compared to the incidence of epilepsy. Something like less than 5% of sufferers are triggered by lights / flashing. Also, I've read that those who are photosensitive can have their seizures triggered by rapid head movements. Remember that when someone tells you they have epilepsy - it's not always about flashing lights!
Second, epilepsy can happen to you at any age, and for reasons that doctors won't be able to figure out. This should be obvious because there are many conditions that we don't know the cause of. Yet it was still a bit distressing to me to learn that adult-onset epilepsy happens sometimes for reasons we don't know.
Bonus FYI: don't put anything in the mouth of someone having a seizure, especially not your finger. This is a very common myth!
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[ 3.3 ms ] story [ 14.9 ms ] threadTwo quick examples come to mind: photosensitive epilepsy is very rare compared to the incidence of epilepsy. Something like less than 5% of sufferers are triggered by lights / flashing. Also, I've read that those who are photosensitive can have their seizures triggered by rapid head movements. Remember that when someone tells you they have epilepsy - it's not always about flashing lights!
Second, epilepsy can happen to you at any age, and for reasons that doctors won't be able to figure out. This should be obvious because there are many conditions that we don't know the cause of. Yet it was still a bit distressing to me to learn that adult-onset epilepsy happens sometimes for reasons we don't know.
Bonus FYI: don't put anything in the mouth of someone having a seizure, especially not your finger. This is a very common myth!