Epilepsy and the family : a new guide / Richard Lechtenberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lechtenberg, Richard, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Epileptics--Family relationships.

Epileptics.

Epilepsy--Social aspects.

Epilepsy.

Epilepsy--Psychological aspects.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (273 pages)

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, [1999]

Summary:

Epilepsy and the Family: A New Guide updates Richard Lechtenberg's classic handbook for people with seizure disorders and those closest to them. It offers coping strategies for the wide range of practical and emotional challenges that epilepsy can introduce into the family: marital and sexual difficulties, concerns about pregnancy and inheritance, drug compliance and abuse among teenagers, personality changes and suicide. This new guide addresses the personal questions that adults with epilepsy may be reluctant to ask their physician, and it offers chapters tailored to the special stresses of spouses, parents, and siblings who, like the patient, must live with a seizure disorder. As many as two and a half million Americans have epilepsy. Thirty percent of them are children under the age of 18. And there are 125,000 newly diagnosed cases each year. A practicing neurologist with decades of clinical experience, Lechtenberg clearly and concisely explains the biology behind this complex and relatively widespread class of diseases. He discusses the various medical conditions that can cause seizures in children and adults and points out that the cause of many seizure disorders is never discovered. Patients and those who care about them will find authoritative but accessible advice on various medications and surgical approaches and the information they need to ask informed questions of their doctors. For the medical professional, this book offers important information on how to better treat the patient with epilepsy by recognizing the needs of the entire family. This revised edition addresses: New drugs and surgical techniques that have been developed in the past 15 years Pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical treatment strategies New clinical data on drug combinations and side effects Up-to-date statistics for mortality, reproduction, violent behavior, divorce, and suicide

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Chapter One Epilepsy: Its Characteristics and Impact

Chapter Two The Adult with Epilepsy

Chapter Three Marital Problems

Chapter Four Sexual Activity

Chapter Five Childbearing and Inheritance

Chapter Six The Child with Epilepsy

Chapter Seven Growing Up with an Epileptic Parent

Chapter Eight Siblings and the Extended Family

Chapter Nine Personality Changes and Violence

Chapter Ten Diagnosing Epilepsy

Chapter Eleven Treatment Options

Chapter Twelve What To Do When a Seizure Occurs

Suggested Reading and References

Index

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [253]-257) and index.

ISBN:

9780674274433

0674274431

OCLC:

1286430041