Lots of people in the Epilepsy community were chatting and emailing yesterday about this story that I first saw on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/15/tv.medical.dramas.seizures/index.html. It’s all about how medical dramas, from “Grey’s Anatomy” to “House” essentially get it wrong almost half the time when it comes to dealing with seizures. The research will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Toronto, Ontario, in April. I love that!! I hope all of the epileptologists in attendance will stand on their seats and demand that something be done to educate people more about Epilepsy and seizures!

Back to reality…the story is very good, but it doesn’t go the extra mile. What can WE do to combat the problem? How can we educate people? I received a lovely letter in the mail from one of my Brainthunders.com readers. She sends a ‘fact sheet’ to family and friends every now and then, maybe with holiday cards or thank you notes. It details facts about Epilepsy and what-to-do in the event of a seizure. I think this is a great idea, and as I told her–I’m going to borrow it! It’s up to us to spread critical information and to inform people who know us and care about us. It’s also called advocacy! And, if we don’t stand up for ourselves, there might not be anyone left who does!

So, I guess one lesson from this study can be…watch these shows for the characters’ love lives, not for the lessons they are teaching on seizure first aid!