Living with epilepsy accompanied by cognitive difficulties: Young adults experiences

• Objective: Epilepsy can sometimes be followed by memory impairment. This can result from the underlying cause of epilepsy or from recurrent seizures, or can be a side effect of antiepileptic drugs or a symptom of another disease such as depression. The aim of the study described here was to explore the experience of living with epilepsy and subjective cognitive decline. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethod: To better understand the deeper meaning of the phenomenon, a qualitative design was chosen. Fourteen adults aged 18-35 took part in focus group interviews. The participants were divided into four groups, two groups of women and two groups of men, and the interviews were conducted according to a semistructured protocol. Transcripts were analyzed in accordance with the content analysis guidelines. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: Four themes emerged: "affecting the whole person," "influencing daily life," "affecting relationships," and "meeting ignorance in society." less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusions: Cognitive decline has a heavy impact on young adults with intractable epilepsy. In contrast to seizures, the cognitive decline is persistent. The themes reflected different hardships faced by the participants. The consequences of living with epilepsy and cognitive impairment concerned education, employment, social life, self-esteem, and hope for the future. The participants were already using strategies to cope with their cognitive decline, but may benefit from help in developing new strategies to better adjust to their memory problems. Development of more educational programs for both people with epilepsy and their relatives could improve their difficult situations. With help, people can learn to adjust their goals in life and live a fulfilling life despite the disease.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Neurovetenskaper (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Neurosciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Epilepsy

Young adults

Cognition

Memory problems

Focus group interviews

Qualitative study

Daily life

MEDICINE

MEDICIN

Nursing

Vårdvetenskap

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)