An interesting article appeared over the weekend on the web on HealthCanal.com. It accuses newspapers…newspapers, not all media…of holding a certain bias against drivers with Epilepsy. I had to read it and re-read it several times before I got the just of it.

In http://www.healthcanal.com/public-health-safety/7331.html a new Mayo Clinic study is quoted. Dr. Joseph F. Drazkowski of the Arizona Mayo Clinic was an author of the study. “We want people to know that not everything you read in the paper is factual, “ he says about those of us with Epilepsy getting behind the wheel of a car.

Image courtesy of Flickr

Image courtesy of Flickr

Granted each state in the U.S. has certain laws which govern whether or not you can drive when you have Epilepsy. In most cases, you must be seizure-free for a certain period of time before you can pick up your keys again. For those of us who experience seizures weekly, if not daily, the chance of starting our engine is diminished. But I do understand what the study is pointing out.

I don’t think these doctors necessarily believe that it’s time for all of us with Epilepsy to get behind the wheel, but it’s definitely time to open up some different dialog. When an accident occurs and the person has had a seizure, it’s more than likely one of the first facts about the incident that’s pointed out. If you’re like me, you’ve noticed it.

Drazkowski also says that there are plenty of people with other medical conditions: cardiac disease, psychiatric conditions and those who are heavily medicated for a variety of ailments, that are allowed to drive without question. Even big-time cold medications can contain warning labels against driving while you take the meds.

Those of us in the Epilepsy community must do our part to erase the stigma and the misconceptions about living with Epilepsy. Yes, it’s true, some people with Epilepsy don’t take the restriction seriously for one reason or another, but by and large, our doctors help us see the rationale about why it can be unsafe to drive when you have frequent seizures. Now, we must make the general public understand.