Media Specialist Jacob interviewed George who shares his experience about the THRIVEGulu Mobile Mental Health Clinic in his community. Although epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder, in Uganda epilepsy is commonly relegated to the mental health sector. Because epileptic seizures are widely misunderstood, individuals like George’s son Abraham often experience stigma, ostracization and even chaining, in an effort to protect epileptics from causing harm to self or others. Many see epilepsy not as a health condition but as a curse, demon or psychosis. THRIVE’s Counseling Team is well-positioned to help patients and their families.
“After we left the internally displaced persons camp in 2010, my 16 year old son Abraham developed epilepsy. He would often fall down 3-5 times a day, even at night. As his father, I could not do anything but be close to him. Sometimes he would not even know where he was or be able to identify any family members. Many people advised me to go for a witch doctor, but because of my religious background, I turned them down.
Sometimes it was like he was living in a ghost world. It’s been very difficult for us because he could not talk or eat by himself. Often my wife was unable to do farm work on account of having to monitor him. The health center is far from us. It takes us 4-hours to reach it by car and much longer by foot.
I never thought my wife and I could have been smiling like we do today. THRIVEGulu brought the mental health mobile clinic to Omoro District. I took my son. I was able to learn more about his condition, as well as to get the proper medications to help him. I am grateful to THRIVEGulu for their wonderful program which brought to my attention that his illness can be treated.
My wife and I are very happy now because since the day he started taking his medication, he no longer falls. Even his eating habits have changed. We are now relieved because we can actively do farm work, knowing that we can safely leave him at home with the rest of the children.”
