Today (September 10th 2018) Minds of Epilepsy launched.
This project has been in the planning for a number of months and aims to increase awareness, understanding and support to those affected by both epilepsy and mental health issues.
In the past we have asked what people with epilepsy are particularly concerned about. Followed by problems such as medication side effects, memory issues and stigma (which are all very important topics to address), mental health issues have consistently come out on top.
After a search on social media platforms we found that there are very few, if any, pages that focus specifically on epilepsy and mental health. To ensure this topic gets the attention it needs, we decided that this project should have a separate page. It was decided by the Epilepsy Positivity community that this page would be called ‘Minds of Epilepsy’. This page was created on Twitter but upon request has now been created on Instagram too. The running of Epilepsy Positivity will remain the same - this is simply a way to ensure that there is a place specifically for epilepsy and mental health.
We hope people will use the hashtag #mindsofepilepsy to get talking about their experiences and offer some support and guidance to each other. Tonight (7pm-10pm) we will be hosting our first discussion about a range of mental health topics that have been recognised as important to people who are affected by epilepsy. We also have several other discussions and mini-projects planned which will be announced soon!
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this project so far - given feedback on the original plan, decided on a name and thought of some ideas for the next few months - it has all been truly appreciated!
www.twitter.com/mindsofepilepsy
www.instagram.com/mindsofepilepsy