learning

Living with a long-term health condition can be hard – and epilepsy is no exception. There are many parts of living with epilepsy that can have a negative effects on how you feel.

Epilepsy can have a big effect on your thoughts and feelings, how you view yourself, your self-confidence and your overall mental wellbeing. People with epilepsy are also more likely to have depression and anxiety.

There are many aspects of living with epilepsy that can affect your mental wellbeing. Here are just a few:

• Living with seizures
• Side-effects from treatment
• Problems with adjusting to, or accepting, your diagnosis
• Uncertainty with your diagnosis or treatment
• Feeling like you have lost your independence
• Low self-esteem or self-confidence
• Stigma
• Problems at work
• Problems in your relationships
• Sleep problems
• Memory problems

As epilepsy is such an individual condition, there may be many other things that affect you.

5.1 In your workbook