Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Falling down and can't get up
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Falling down and can't get up
by Hschauss, Oct 23, 2009 03:34PM
My daughter has epilepsy, and has always been clumsy, but during the past year she has started falling down and can't get up. It is almost like she can't get her brain to tell her body what to do, and that she is panicking. A lot of times, she is perfectly able to just jump up, so it seems more emotionally based than medically. Have you ever heard of this type of thing happening? Is there something we can do to help her?
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Oct 24, 2009 08:38AM
, Oct 24, 2009 08:38AMTo: Hschauss
I don't know how old your daughter is, and it does make some difference...There are two major explanations for this kind of behavior...one is a post ictal confusion as a result of the epileptic experience..and the other is a kind of emotional dissassociation, a kind of defense mechanism in response to the physical surprise of the epileptic attack....a good neurologist should be able to sort that out with you.
Post Comment
It could be that they are two separate issues.
I think you should be getting specialist consults (neurological and psychological/ psychiatric). Therapy may help her learn to .. not even sure how to phrase it ...learn coping skills, gain confidence ... there are so many different ways it could potentially help her. I would definitely follow-up with the neurologist though. Or maybe a neuro-psychiatrist?? I'm not entirely sure about the specialty field.