Though clinical aspects of epilepsy such as seizure control are crucially important to its management, increasing attention is being given to wider quality of life issues. Epilepsy continues to be an often misunderstood and stigmatising condition; for the vast majority of people whose seizures can be well controlled, the social and psychological repercussions are often of greater significance than the seizures themselves. The increasing emphasis on the importance of non-clinical outcomes in the assessment of new treatments and management strategies for chronic conditions such as epilepsy has stimulated interest in methodological issues in assessing quality of life. This book reviews the recent literature on the impact of epilepsy on everyday experience and the methodological issues involved in assessing that impact. It also considers the perspectives of a range of health professionals involved in caring for people with epilepsy and how, through appropriate management, the impact on their lives can be minimised.

Written in response to the Supreme Court's landmark Daubert decision regarding provision of expert witness scientific testimony, Assessment of Rehabilitative and Quality of Life Issues in Litigation focuses on quality of life as a means of conceptualizing and measuring pain and suffering in the controversial enjoyment of life debate. The authors make a compelling argument for a quality of life paradigm based on a rehabilitation and health economics analysis, demonstrating that qualified rehabilitationists are the best experts to provide analyses of the impact of disability or injury on quality of life over the lifespan. The extensive literature review enables attorneys and litigation experts to easily access quality of life literature.

Psychological techniques have a major role to play in the treatment and management of epilepsy. The Clinical Psychologist's Handbook of Epilepsy is the first comprehensive reference text written specifically from a psychological angle. A team of experts review the latest research and give practical advice for the clinician in areas including neuropsychological assessment, the impact of anti-epileptic medication, behaviour problems in children with epilepsy, and the impact of epilepsy in people with learning disabilities. A practical handbook for all psychologists working in the area, whether new to the field or more experienced, The Clinical Psychologist's Handbook of Epilepsy will also provide a useful resource for research.

Describes an approach to diagnosing and treating people with epilepsy (though not confined to this condition) with a view of the patient as an integral human being, comprising both their seizures and the psychical and social situation. This book inquires into every treatment's goals, whilst including the patients' (and their relatives') subjective evaluations and perspectives. This includes early considerations of benefits versus risks for the patient, the ultimate question being what quality of life will be attained and how much independent life and employment will be feasible. Comprehensive Care does not necessarily need to be associated with elevated cost, as many epilepsy centres have enough knowledge, imagination, and staff for this purpose, the problem being how to combine and use existing resources most effectively.

This book provides a comprehensive, rigorous review of the long-term outcome literature in epilepsy surgery in both adults and children. Each chapter examines the long-term outcome literature in a separate domain; covering seizure control, social, vocational/educational and psychiatric outcomes. Behavior and cognition are also discussed. The clinical predictors of good and bad outcomes in each domain are described and the gaps in current knowledge are highlighted. Separate chapters examine the methodological challenges associated with long-term outcome studies and the special considerations associated with informed consent in this population. Long-Term Outcomes of Epilepsy Surgery in Adults and Children is essential reading for all members of multidisciplinary epilepsy surgery teams, including neurosurgeons, neurologists and neuropsychologists; it will enable these teams to counsel patients and parents who are considering epilepsy surgery as a therapeutic option.​

At the time a diagnosis of epilepsy is made for a child, it is highly desirable to predict seizure control and social outcome several months or even years later. Determination of outcome is complex. This book is revolved around three main questions: - What is to be predicted? Is it seizure control, remission with or without ongoing AED treatment, intractability, social outcome or a combination? - What is the purpose of attempting prediction and who will use the information? - How accurate is the prediction? It takes a critical look at what is known about the outcome of childhood epilepsies, specifically evidence-based findings, and further clarifies the direction of clinical and fundamental research for the future.

Epilepsy care traditionally focuses on seizures, yet for most epilepsy sufferers, other interictal factors such as mood, cognitive abilities, and treatment adverse effects most influence how they feel and function day to day. Epilepsy and the Interictal State is a practical and comprehensive text that covers quality of life issues, cognition and therapy, adverse effects of epilepsy treatments, mood state and psychiatric co-morbidity and general health aspects of epilepsy. Each chapter employs a standard structure providing background, epidemiology, pathophysiology, etiology, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and further practical advice. From an international team of expert editors and contributors, Epilepsy and the Interictal State is a valuable resource for specialist epileptologists and neurologists, as well as for neurosurgeons, neurology nurses, psychiatrists, family physicians and general practitioners.

This volume of ARNR addresses the wide-range of chronic illnesses that nurses encounter in their work. The format is the same as previous volumes, with each chapter presenting a careful and systematic review all available research on specific topics. Important issues in chronic issues are reflected throughout, such as a prolonged and uncertain course of illness, lack of easy resolution, rarity of complete cure, frequent unknown etiology, and multiple risk factors. The book ends with a milestone chapter by Susan Donaldson which overviews significant breakthroughs in nursing research over the past 40 years. Volume 18 introduces a new dimension to the Review. In order to better reflect the increasing specialization of nursing, a nurse expert in a particular specialty area has been selected to edit each volume. Dr. Joyce Fitzpatrick continues to oversee the Review as Series Editor. The majority of each Review will be devoted to the focus area, with one or two chapters addressing important research issues that are of interest to all researchers.

Once feared and misunderstood even among the medical community, epilepsy has since largely been demystified. Besides the characteristic seizures, various cognitive, behavioral, and emotional difficulties are recognized as associated with the condition, and patients are finding relief in medical management and/or surgical intervention. Not surprisingly, neuropsychology has emerged as a major component in treatment planning, program development, and assessment of surgical candidates. Geared toward beginning as well as veteran clinicians, the Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Epilepsy offers readers a skills-based framework for assessment and treatment, using current evidence and standardized terminology. Expert coverage reviews widely-used methods for evaluating key aspects of patient functioning (MRI, MEG, electrocortical mapping, the Wada test), and presents guidelines for psychotherapeutic and cognitive remediation strategies in treating comorbid psychiatric conditions. Given the diversity of the patient population, additional chapters spotlight issues specific to subgroups including high- and low-functioning as well as geriatric and pediatric patients. This integrative hands-on approach benefits a range of practitioners across medical and neurological settings. Topics featured in the Handbook: Neuropsychological assessment across the lifespan. Evaluating the epilepsy surgical candidate: methods and procedures. The Wada test: current perspectives and applications. Assessing psychiatric and personality disorders in the epilepsy patient. Evaluation and management of psychogenic non-epileptic attacks. Neuropsychological assessment with culturally diverse patients. Practical and flexible in its coverage, the Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Epilepsy serves not only neuropsychologists and neurologists but also primary care physicians such as internists, family physicians, and pediatricians.