Volume 1 • Issue 1 • 1000101 J Epilepsy ISSN: 2472-0895 ELJ, an open access journal Research Article Open Access Paul et al., J Epilepsy 2015, 1:1 DOI: 10.4172/2472-0895.1000101 Research Article Open Access Epilepsy Journal E p i l e p s y J o u r n a l ISSN: 2472-0895 Keywords: Psychosocial; Epilepsy; PWE Introduction Epilepsy is an episodic and chronic central nervous system disorder characterized by unprovoked, recurrent seizures that may afect physical, mental, or behavioral functioning [1]. A generalized convulsion (i.e., a grand mal ft) is the most common recognized event. Te seizures usually produce brief periods of disruption, which include phenomena such as loss of consciousness, bodily distortion, injuries, unusual and ofen frightening psychological experiences as well as urinary and bowel incontinence [2]. Apart from the episodic seizures, there are many other ever-present factors – social, educational, cultural and so forth – which afect the quality of life (QOL) of people living with epilepsy, their families and their close social networks variably [3]. However, very little study has been done on the quality of life of PWE attending clinics in Lusaka. Systematic studies on QOL in epilepsy from developing countries are sparse [2] and Zambia is no exception to this trend. Clinicians tend to address the patient’s and family’s perspective on the impact and burden of epilepsy marginally; with a goal almost exclusively on seizure control with minimal or no adverse medication efects [4]. However, people with epilepsy also have to cope with psychological and social consequences [5]. Clearly, comprehensive care needs to go beyond this goal to enable the patients and their families to lead lives as free as possible from the medical and psychosocial complications of epilepsy. A better understanding of how satisfed people living with epilepsy are with their lives is necessary if clinicians are to better help the patients lead more fulflling lives [4]. Problem Statement Te focus of treatment of PWE by clinicians has been almost exclusively on seizure control with little or no attention paid to the psychosocial impact the condition has on the patients whereas the patients have to deal with such consequences of the disease on themselves for most part of their daily lives than they spend having the seizures themselves. Tis study will try to highlight this problem as postulated in the hypothesis and will fnd out whether PWE attending clinics in Lusaka are signifcantly afected in their quality of life by the condition. Rationale Very little study has been done on the psychosocial impact of epilepsy on PWE receiving treatment in Zambia. Tis has compounded the neglect on this aspect of the patients’ life in the approach to treatment. Tis study will highlight the impact of living with epilepsy *Corresponding author: Ravi Paul, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia, Tel: +260976744654; E-mail: ravipaul35@gmail.com Received September 07, 2015; Accepted November 17, 2015; Published November 27, 2015 Citation: Paul R, Joyce S, Kusanthan T (2015) The Psychosocial Impact of Epilep- sy; A Study on Adult People With Epilepsy Attending Clinics In Lusaka. J Epilepsy 1: 101. doi:10.4172/2472-0895.1000101 Copyright: © 2015 Paul R, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Background: Epilepsy is a chronic disease that affects different aspects of life. Few studies have measured, using validated scales, the psychosocial impact of epilepsy in a general practice setting in Zambia. Aim: To fnd out the quality of life in PWE attending clinics in Lusaka, and to fnd out various factors affecting them Method: A survey was undertaken of 50 subjects, with generalized or partial epileptic seizures aged 18 years or more and drawn from epilepsy clinics in Lusaka. The outcome measure was the SF-31(Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-31). Results: 38% of persons with active epilepsy had signifcantly low QOL due to their condition. Females had lower QOL scores than males. Patients with higher levels of education had higher scores than their counterparts with lesser education. People who had been ill for greater than 5 years had higher scores than those who had been ill for a shorter duration. Those whose caregivers had a high income from salary job had higher scores than those whose caregivers were unemployed. Conclusion: The occurrence of seizures, even at low frequencies, is associated with psychosocial handicap, and this may remain covert in general practice. Increased impairment in QOL was observed in female, less educated patients with recent onset of seizures, and unemployed caregivers. Poor QOL in epilepsy refects social underachievement and calls for programs to remedy their psychosocial circumstance and improve health service provisions. The Psychosocial Impact of Epilepsy; A Study on Adult People With Epilepsy Attending Clinics In Lusaka Ravi Paul 1* , Sakala Joyce 2 and Thankian Kusanthan 3 1 Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia 2 University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia 3 Department of Gender Studies, School Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zambia