According to a study at a Hospital in Luxembourg a little less than a decade ago, epileptics have an extremely high rate of mood disorders. The study put the total number of men and women living with anxiety and depression as at somewhere between 50 and 60% – far greater than the rest of the population.

This is a tragically high number, and its cause is likely due to a combination of factors, including, but not limited to:

• Living with a chronic health condition.
• Side effect of epilepsy medications.
• Potential relationship with the causes of epilepsy.

Because of this broad range of conditions and causes, fighting anxiety from epilepsy isn’t always easy. While providing healthy coping strategies can be a start, medications, seizures themselves, and potential brain chemistry issues make basic anxiety reduction tips only part of the treatment.

Working with a doctor is important. For this type of condition, it’s best not to try to make all of the decisions on your own. Yet here are some tips for how to control the anxiety of epilepsy.

Anxiety Tips

• Take it Seriously

Your anxiety does matter, and it’s important to not treat it like a secondary problem or one that you’re less concerned with. Anxiety affects multiple areas of life. It can affect your body even when you’re not feeling anxious, your energy levels as you go about your day, and your ability to hold onto relationships. Epilepsy itself is already something that many people struggle with. The only way to make sure that you overcome the struggles of anxiety as well is to treat it like a separate illness – giving it the same attention you do to your epilepsy.

• Learn to Control Panic Attacks

You should also focus on a lesser known issue with anxiety – panic attacks. Sometimes referred to as anxiety attacks, panic attacks are an often misunderstood anxiety issue, but one that may effect epileptics a great deal. Many of those living with epilepsy experience this profound anxiety before they get an attack. Panic attacks are a type of anxiety disorder that provides this intense feeling of doom – similar to the way that someone would feel if they were about to go into epileptic shock. This is a disorder that many people don’t talk about with their doctors, because they don’t necessarily realize that it’s actually not the same as generalized anxiety, and needs its own separate style of treatment.

• Identify All of the Root Causes

As mentioned above, anxiety in epileptics can have many different root causes, and may be caused by more than one issue. Learning to identify each cause individually, and working with a doctor or support specialist to figure out what is leading to your anxiety is extremely important. It’s very hard to treat your anxiety without taking the time to understand its exact causes, yet far too many people go straight to anxiety treatments without necessarily understanding what they’re treating. There are so many therapies, drug choices, and relaxation techniques available, yet none of these are “one size fits all.” Skipping straight to a treatment without exploring the contributing factors is a common mistake, and one that can hold you back.

Taking the Steps to Reduce Your Anxiety

No one can diagnose your anxiety disorder from a computer, especially when you have epilepsy, because the sheer number of factors that are involved with regard to mental health issues and chronic illness are remarkable. But the willingness you show to take your anxiety seriously will go a long way, and everyone – including those living with epilepsy – can find relief from anxiety symptoms I they’re willing to put in the work.

About the Author: Ryan Rivera provides advice and treatment tips to those living with anxiety at his website, which can be found at www.calmclinic.com.