Epilepsy Awareness: Marriage still a battle for patients with Epilepsy

Epilepsy is still plagued by myths and prejudice. People still have a negative attitude towards persons with epilepsy despite the advances reported in recent studies.  The stigma perceived by persons with epilepsy affects their self-esteem, family, social life, work, and marital perspectives, and has a negative impact on their quality of life.

Marriage is less common in persons with epilepsy than in individuals with other chronic diseases or from the general population, and the negative impact of the disease is greater when it begins in the first decade of life.

Studies in many countries and cultures describe that families still object to their children marrying persons with epilepsy, even those with controlled epileptic seizures, because of the belief that they will pass the illness to their children or because  persons with epilepsy may not fulfill their social and economic roles and obligations.

The marital relationship is an important component of family and social support, and failure to reach or maintain marriage is seen as going against social norms and expectations. In the general population, married individuals report greater life satisfaction and better physical and psychological health. Poor social integration in Epilepsy can lead to loneliness, social maladjustment, inappropriate behaviors and social exclusion.

The main need of people in general, as well as patients with epilepsy, is to lead a normal life. The patient must be accepted as a whole person with the inevitable limitations imposed by the condition.

The writer is an Epilepsy Awareness ambassador