The psychiatrist and the retarded epileptic child

  • D. C. Taylor
Chapter

Abstract

At a time of intense demedicalization of mental handicap care, the situation of the mentally handicapped chronically sick child deserves special consideration. Epilepsy is the most prevalent secondary chronic health problem and it identifies a sub-population with markedly increased risks of being in less privileged accommodation. There is a need for continuing, well informed, medical care of the retarded epileptic child, for medical research into the aetiology of seizure disorders associated with handicap, and for psychiatric care of consequent behavioural problems and social difficulties. This paper considers the role of the child psychiatrist, the relationship between epilepsy and handicap, the epidemiology and prevalence of epilepsy in the handicapped children, the influence of ontogeny on the seizures, and concludes by suggesting the variety of ways in which child psychiatrists could be of service.

Keywords

Handicapped People Handicapped Child Seizure Disorder Infantile Spasm Mental Handicap 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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References

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Copyright information

© The Royal Society of Medicine 1984

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  • D. C. Taylor

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