Problems of Families with Epileptic Children

Four things are clear when working with these families. Firstly, that they present all the patterns of maladjustment of the children in the General Clinic. Secondly, that the degree of disturbance in the child seems much more related to the degree of disturbance in the parents and in the general social situation, than to the severity of the epilepsy. Thirdly, that all the mothers, even the stable ones, are not strangers to at least some of a certain group of ideas and anxieties connected with epilepsy, partly arising in their own minds and partly transmitted from society. Lastly, that children do not seem as disturbed by the first few fits as do the parents. The latter frequently say that the child does not seem to worry, that they have no idea how he feels, or even that they do not think he knows he has fits. Only two have ever said spontaneously they believe he is frightened. This relatively stoical attitude in many of the children is confirmed by the doctor.