MYTH: You can swallow your tongue during a seizure.

It's physically impossible to swallow your tongue.
 

MYTH: You should force something into the mouth of someone having a seizure.

Absolutely not! That's a good way to chip teeth, puncture gums, or even break someone's jaw. The correct first aid is simple: just gently roll the person onto their side and put something soft under the head to protect from injury.
 

MYTH: You should restrain someone having a seizure.

Never use restraint! The seizure will run its course and you cannot stop it.
 

MYTH: Epilepsy is contagious.

About as contagious as a gun-shot wound! You simply can't catch epilepsy from another person.
 

MYTH: Only kids get epilepsy.

Epilepsy happens to people over age 75 more often than it does to children aged 10 and under. Seizures in the elderly are often the after effect of other health problems like stroke and heart disease.
 

MYTH: People with epilepsy are disabled and can't work.

People living with the condition have the same range of abilities and intelligence as the rest of the population. Some have severe seizures and cannot work; others are successful and productive in challenging careers.
 

MYTH: People with epilepsy shouldn't be in jobs of responsibility and stress.

People with seizure disorders are found in all walks of life and at all levels in business, government, the arts and other professions. We aren't always aware of them because many people, even today, do not talk about having epilepsy for fear of what others might think.
 

MYTH: With today's medication, epilepsy is largely a solved problem.

Epilepsy is a chronic medical problem that for many people can be successfully treated. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical treatment doesn't work for everyone and there's a critical need for more research.
 

MYTH: Epilepsy is rare and there aren't many people who have it.

There are more than twice as many people with epilepsy in Canada as the number of people with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis combined. Epilepsy can occur as a single condition, or may accompany other conditions affecting the brain, such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer's disease, and traumatic brain injury.
 

MYTH: You can't die from epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a very serious medical condition and individuals do die of it. Epilepsy as a direct cause of death can be divided in different categories.
• Seizure-related deaths, such as from accidental drowning, auto accidents, etc.
• Death due to prolonged seizures (status epilepticus)
• Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP)
   

MYTH: You can't tell what a person might do during a seizure.

Seizures usually take a characteristic form: the individual will do much the same thing during each episode. Although the behaviour may be "inappropriate" for the time and place, it is unlikely to cause harm to anyone and should not be seen as an embarrassment to anyone.
 

MYTH: People with epilepsy are physically limited in what they can do.

In most cases, epilepsy isn't a barrier to physical achievement, although some individuals are more severely affected and may be limited in what they can do. Professional sports players with epilepsy include Greg Walker (baseball, Chicago White Sox), Bobby Jones (basketball, Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia '76ers), and Gary Howatt (hockey, New York Islanders).

To submit questions, comments, or suggestions please click here.

Last Modified: 07/31/2006 03:05:15 PM