Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-2023
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Richard Buchholz
Second Advisor
Peter Zee
Third Advisor
Kristie Willett
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
This thesis examines the diagnosis, symptoms, and consequences of epilepsy along with the author’s personal journey that promoted the creation of a successful epilepsy service club on the University of Mississippi campus, later evolving to a nonprofit organization off campus. Epilepsy is defined as having at least two seizures without a known trigger that are recurring and may include uncontrollable jerking of muscles or staring blankly with significant risk for short-and long-term consequences. These consequences include social isolation, problems at school, reduced physical activity, increased risk for injuries, social stigma, anxiety, depression, attention issues, and other consequences. An independent online search by the author sought to discover epilepsy-based organizations among universities that had 10,000 or more students enrolled among eleven Southern states. Out of 105 universities found in the eleven states, three universities, the University of Mississippi, the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida, published information about epilepsy-based service clubs on their campuses. This search accounted for 2.9% prevalence of epilepsy-based college service club organizations across eleven Southern states. Based on these findings, additional follow up is necessary to search in other U.S. regions to see if the results are similar and to identify prevalence of epilepsy service organizations in a wider population. The prevalence of epilepsy service club organizations nationwide is not known.
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Logan, "The Impact of Epilepsy and the Evolution of a Nonprofit: "The Epilepsy Connection"" (2023). Honors Theses. 2963.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2963
Accessibility Status
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