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This week
Tuesday 11 December 2007
Epilepsy is the world's most common brain disorder - but how close are we to becoming able to predict the next epileptic fit?
Programme details
EPILEPSY One in every 130 or so of us will develop epilepsy, which isn’t one single condition but a cluster of symptoms, all of which result in recurring seizures in the brain. However for such a common disorder Epilepsy is traditionally poorly understood. A recent report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Epilepsy – on England alone, showed that nearly a thousand people a year die from Epilepsy-related causes and 400 of these deaths could be avoided. The report condemned the “vicious circle of social stigma, secrecy and widespread medical ignorance” that surrounds Epilepsy. Raj Persaud visited the Institute for Epileptology at Kings College Hospital to find out more. He spoke to Professor Mark Richardson, about the latest developments in research and treatments.
STAR WARDS Last year more than half of psychiatric wards in England and Wales were deemed non-therapeutic and unpleasant by the Mental Health Commission and previously the Healthcare Commission’s audit of violence had found almost 80% of mental health nurses and 36% of service users had either been personally attacked, threatened or made to feel unsafe. Star Wards, a project run by the charity Bright, is working with mental health trusts to improve life for acute mental health inpatients. Raj Persaud spoke to Marion Janner, founder of Star Wards. Reporter Sara Parker went along to Sandwell Park Hospital in Hartlepool, one of the first pilot sites for Star Wards.
