Coming to terms with epilepsy

Being diagnosed with epilepsy can be a shock and can take a while to come to terms with – not just for you, but for your friends and family as well.

• You might worry about going out on your own in case you have a seizure.
• Friends and family might become over protective of you.
• Denial. You may find it hard to accept that you have epilepsy. Your friends and family may also find the diagnosis difficult to accept.
• Frustration. For example if your epilepsy prevents you from doing certain things.
• You might worry about how other people will react to your epilepsy.

Deciding when or if to tell other people about your epilepsy is your decision. You might be very open about your epilepsy, or you might prefer to wait until you know people better before talking about your epilepsy.