Public release date: 12-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Susan Griffith susan.griffith@case.edu 216-368-1004 Case Western Reserve University
Parents of children with epilepsy and mental health problems have a new go-to resource.
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic have created "What you should know about mental health in youth with epilepsy," an information booklet and CD that answers questions about children's medical and psychological issues.
About 2 million Americans, or roughly one percent of the population, have epilepsy, according to The Epilepsy Foundation. It also reports that mental health issues, including depression, affect about 30 percent of children with epilepsy. Depression contributes to suicide, which is higher among adolescents with epilepsy than the general teen populations.
So many parents naturally wonder what can be done to help their children.
Drawing from their experiences with families and children with epilepsy, Jane Timmons-Mitchell, PhD, from the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, and Tatiana Falcone, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Epilepsy Center at Cleveland Clinic, created the guide.
The information includes sections on child development, epilepsy and mental health, treatment and interventions and medical resources.
Timmons-Mitchell, a clinical psychologist, said that, as children go through different developmental stages, parents need information to understand the changes their children might experience.
The tool kit provides basic information, with links to reliable online resources about child development, medications for epilepsy and mood disorders, how to navigate a school system for support, and marshaling community resources.
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Tool kit answers mental health and epilepsy questions for parents