To Cope with Epilepsy in A Country Like Pakistan

Summary

The author shares their personal struggle with epilepsy in Pakistan, where societal stigma and superstitions lead to misconceptions and delayed medical treatment.

Abstract

The article titled "To Cope with Epilepsy in A Country Like Pakistan" delves into the author's experience with epilepsy in a society where brain illness is often attributed to possession by evil spirits. Despite having no family history of epilepsy, the author began experiencing seizures after a nervous breakdown. Initial refusal by their mother to accept the medical diagnosis and the high cost of an MRI led to a delay in proper treatment. The author describes intense hallucinations preceding seizures, which have remained consistent over eight years. The condition results in loss of consciousness, memory loss, and physical pain, yet the family's first response was to seek help from a spiritual healer, or Peer, rather than medical professionals. The author eventually pursued medical testing and treatment, which significantly reduced the frequency and duration of seizures. The article highlights the societal challenges faced by epileptics in Pakistan, including discrimination in employment, marriage, and social acceptance, and emphasizes the need for greater awareness and understanding of the disease.

Opinions

The author believes that epilepsy is misunderstood in Pakistani society, often being misattributed to supernatural causes.
There is a strong opinion against the societal stigma attached to epilepsy, which leads to discrimination and ostracization.
The author's family initially rejected medical advice in favor of traditional spiritual healing practices.
The author emphasizes the importance of medical testing and treatment for managing epilepsy.
The article advocates for increased awareness and acceptance of epilepsy to improve the lives of those affected.

To Cope with Epilepsy in A Country Like Pakistan

Suffering from an illness of the brain is a lot different when you live in a society that still has so many superstitions.

Ever since I was a child I used to hear about people possessed by evil spirits. Such people would have fits and seizures and they will have a short term memory loss too after the fit. There used to be only one cure for them, going to a holy man (called Peer) and get the evil extracted from the person.

Epilepsy doesn’t run in my family. I started suffering from epileptic seizures when I had a nervous breakdown 8 years ago. I was going through a lot and my brain simply stopped working. The doctors told my mother that it can be epilepsy so I should get an MRI done, but my mother refused to believe them and did not let me have an MRI done. It was an expensive test anyway and I was not in a position to afford it, so I also ignored the advice.

My family was so sure that I was possessed by some evil spirit because before my seizure I would start hallucinating. I feel like there are hundreds of people around me, I have a feeling that I know all of them but I cannot exactly tell who they are. I feel like they are going to rip me apart with their bare hands. This detail about my hallucinations has remained unchanged even after 8 years.

I get extremely afraid of these people and start running, that’s when I faint and bite my tongue and sometimes urinate in my pants too. Back then, I used to remain unconscious for 30 minutes or more but now with medication, it has reduced to only one or two minutes.

when I come back to my senses, I suffer from short term memory loss. The only thing I remember is that I am a woman. I don’t even remember my name or recognize anyone around me. I don’t even recognize my mother or my own children. I feel afraid of people around me unless I start getting my memory back. My body ache like hell for so many hours.

So, that’s how it happens and my family only knew that epileptic people simply faint and then get up the same as before. They could not attach hallucinations with anything other than an evil spirit. My mother tried a lot to take me to a Peer for extraction but I refused and got myself tested finally and started my medication a year ago.

The Peers beat the epileptic patients with a big wooden stick unless, according to them, the evil spirit leaves the person alone. My family always tried to hide my illness from everyone because a person with epilepsy is considered damaged good in our society. They face problems in getting a job, getting married, and even get divorced because no one wants their future generation to be epileptic.

I only had two seizures during the last 12 months while taking my medication regularly. I had to go through a lot when I myself did not know much about my ailment and that is why it took me so long to get my tests done and start my medication. There should be more awareness and acceptance of such diseases.