Can a Person with Epilepsy Become President?

When someone mentions the world epilepsy, I bet you imagine someone that begins shaking throughout their body, and goes into a trance like state where their eyes may roll back into their head even. You might even think it’s quite rare and doesn’t really affect many people. Hugo Weaving, the beloved actor that has played roles that have truly influenced our lives such as Agent Smith in the Matrix franchise and Elrond in the Lord of the Rings, and American President Theodore Roosevelt, who is the youngest American President till present share one thing in common. They both suffered from epilepsy.

There is a common misconception that sufferers of epilepsy are unable to function like normal individuals in society. However this notion cannot be further from the truth. Without you realizing it, your closest friends, co-workers or even your boss may have epilepsy. However, with careful treatment and management, they may go on to achieve far more than me or you in spite of their ailment. Why though do people have this misconception that epileptic individuals cannot live like ordinary people?

What Exactly is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a brain condition that causes spontaneous seizures. It takes place due to over activity of certain neural pathways, a disturbance in the concentration of neurochemicals or due to damage after trauma or after a stroke. 

What are the Different Types of Epilepsy?

It can manifest in various ways, and can be classified as 

• Focal epilepsy, when seizures come from one spot in the brain 
• Generalized epilepsy, when seizures come from all over the brain 

Symptoms Besides Muscle Jerking

Depending on where the seizure takes place, it can produce a variety of effects in the person suffering from epilepsy. Think of it as light switch connected to a bulb in a certain location in the room, every switch will light a different bulb. For example, if the seizure happens in the vision (occipital) area of the brain, you will start seeing stars. If it happens in the area involved with memory, the person may feel a sense of déjà vu. If it happens in the emotion area the person may feel intense emotions of fear or may begin to act strangely. Due to the various ways that it can manifest, people wrongfully think that epilepsy is a mental illness.

Social Misconceptions about Epilepsy

Without logical thought, people will blame spirits and possession for anything they can’t understand. With modern science though, we are able to visualize the brain activity of various specific regions to see where these seizures could originate from. This test is known as an EEG- Electroencephalograph, and it shows the abnormally increased brain activity that takes place while a person is having an epileptic attack. 

Did you know that 1% of the population have epilepsy, which means that if you attend a football game where the stadium can hold up to 100,000 people, at least 1000 fans will have epilepsy, but that won’t stop them from cheering and enjoying the game. Of this 1% of epilepsy patients, 50-70% of them will be able to medically control their epileptic episodes by the use of medication. Only a small proportion of 20% are seizures that involve generalized shaking all over the body. So epilepsy is a common brain condition that is just as treatable as diabetes or hypertension.We should not define a person by the few moments of their life spent during a seizure. Everyday there are new medications, and drug regimens that are made and discovered giving hope to people with epilepsy, to further improve their quality of life. As time goes on, the barriers of life that people with epilepsy will reduce further and further allowing them to live their lives to the maximum, and to achieve more in their lives, unhindered by their ailment.