“The sibling relationship is unique in that it lasts the longest of all human relationships.”*
This Epilepsy Awareness Month, we’re sharing facts about drug-resistant epilepsy and surgery on our social media channels. But one thing we don’t talk about often enough are the siblings in our community.
Sibling facts.
- Siblings of children with epilepsy often experience fear when witnessing a seizure. They often worry about seizures and wonder if they cause pain. This can lead to fear and anxiety;
- Siblings of children with chronic medical or neurological conditions often have higher levels of empathy and understanding of others. But they are a high risk for depression and other behavioral challenges;
- Siblings of children with epilepsy are sometimes at risk of psychosocial problems;
- Some studies show that adult siblings have high levels of admiration for their brother or sister with a neurological disorder;
- Other studies show that adult siblings experience less closeness and see their brother or sister as a burden.
Supporting our siblings.
Like many parents in our community, we’re worried about the impact of epilepsy and epilepsy surgery on the siblings in the families we serve. We’re building a new program for siblings in response to this need, but we need your help! If you have a sibling in your family ages 13 – 18, please ask them to consider volunteering to help us understand the sibling experience and what we can do to make the journey easier to manage.