Briefing Document on update of Psychosocial Research

Dear friends, colleagues and members of IBE,

As most of you will understand, it is not always possible to keep up to date with psychosocial research in the field of epilepsy. In response to this we propose to provide a regular briefing document to highlight key findings from recently published research that are relevant to the conduct of the IBE and its members.
The value of being aware of relevant research being conducted in the field can be considered as following:

• Giving us an understanding of applicable research on a regular basis.
• It may make us think differently about a particular topic.
• It can be used to support policy documents.
• It can help us identify areas where further research is required and thus support grant applications.
• It may help us avoid duplication of existing research.

There are a number of key topics that we feel should be the subject of particular interest and these include the following:

• Self-management including education and knowledge; and the application of self-help strategies.
• Stigma interventions aimed at both people with epilepsy and the public.
• Discrimination against people with epilepsy in different life areas (eg. healthcare, education, occupation, insurance)
• Educational and occupational initiatives targeted at different sections of the public.
• Specific interventions for the comorbidities of epilepsy [anxiety, depression, low self-esteem].
• The application of mobile health apps, telemedicine and social media in these areas (self-management, stigma and discrimination, education and assessment for psychiatric comorbidities).

There is little doubt that we would all benefit from knowing and understanding what research is being published and determining its relevance for our own situation as either people with epilepsy, family members, clinicians, carers, researchers  and epilepsy organisations.
We therefore plan to trial this initiative over the next 12-months where we produce a briefing document every four months highlighting recently-published relevant research. We are more than happy to accept any recommendations if there is a particular piece of research that you have read that you feel others would benefit from reading also.

Click here to read the Briefing Document

Professor Gus A Baker PhD FBPsS Co-Chair of the IBE Research Commission		Professor Kheng Seang Lim MD MRCP Co-Chair of the IBE Research Commission