HELP PLEASE (need advice on panic attacks and my parents reactions) Please!

Re: HELP PLEASE

Submitted by MariBS on Wed, 2013-05-29 - 19:42

Your parents are definitely partly at fault here--it's not just you. They are probably making things worse by denying your health and calling you a liar. Whether they're trying to avoid the possibility that their child has health issues or disbelieve that seizures of this type exist, they should really learn more and open their minds a little. For now, I would work on learning to de-stress, and try to get into a neurologist's office for a formal diagnosis so your parents have less grounds to deny that it's happening. You might ask the neurologist about the possibilities of your seizures being psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (i.e. seizures that are not triggered by electrical misfires in your brain, but are nevertheless very real seizures...I recommend googling it and reading a few descriptions to get a good idea of what that means--there are a few good articles about it here on epilepsy.com). I wouldn't mention that possibility to your parents unless it has been diagnosed, as they sound like the type of people who would misinterpret it. Since it sounds like your seizures are directly linked to anxiety/stress, you might also try seeing a psychologist. If it will help sell your parents on the idea of a psychologist, you might say that you want to learn to handle stress better so you don't react in the way that your mother is calling mental. If the psychologist thinks medication would be an appropriate way to treat the anxiety, s/he can refer you to a psychiatrist or other doctor who can prescribe and guide you through the process of getting on meds to help balance the chemicals that contribute to anxiety and stress. Work towards getting out of your parents' home. You can do it, and you'll be better off for it. One of my friends wasn't able to deal with anxiety and depression until she left her parents' home because her father believed she was just being weak and needed to toughen up, but once she started seeing a psychologist and found the right mix of meds, she found that she was able to get through school, work, and social situations much better than she ever had. To top it off, her father is now much more understanding of the situation than he used to be, though he'll probably never be completely comfortable with the idea of something being "wrong" with his daughter's brain that doesn't conform to his belief that you can fix anything if you put your mind to it. On a side note, I've got both seizures and depression issues (now compounded by keppra rage--oh, joy!), I'm an averagely attractive woman, I'm shy and sometimes nervous, and I've still had a few romantic partners, one of whom I chose to marry. It may be a little more difficult to find a relationship, but you're not doomed to be forever alone just because your mother thinks you're mental, unless you allow her to convince you of it. If you continue to have problems with seizures and people's reactions, you can always come here for comfort and understanding. Answers often trickle in slowly, but people here definitely care and know what you're going through. *hugs*