Welcome. Healthtalkonline, an award-winning charity website, lets you share in other people's experiences of health and illness. This information is based on qualitative research into patient experiences led by experts at the University of Oxford.

There are many conditions that affect the nerves and brain. We have interviewed a wide range of people with personal experience of neurological conditions, so that you can share in their stories. All of the topics covered in this section are listed below and in the menu on the left.

You may also be interested in conditions listed under 'Living with disability' such as Life on the Autism spectrum, Parents of children on the autism spectrum.

Carers of People with Dementia

Dementia can cause memory loss, confusion and speech problems. We interviewed 31 people about their experiences of caring for a person with dementia.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is the tendency to have recurrent seizures (fits). We interviewed 41 people about their experiences of this condition.

Motor Neurone Disease

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a disease that attacks the upper and lower motor neurones leading to weakness and wasting of muscles, increasing loss of mobility in the limbs, and difficulties with speech, swallowing and breathing. We have interviewed 46 people about their experiences of this condition.

Parkinson's Disease

Many people would tell you that their idea of someone with Parkinson’s disease is of someone bent over, shuffling, with shaking hands with very slow barely audible speech. We interviewed over 40 people with Parkinson’s disease from all over the UK, young and old, some having received their diagnosis as long as twenty years ago others more recently, some in the last couple of years.

Stroke

Stroke (cerebrovascular accident) occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted, damaging brain function. We have interviewed 53 people about their experiences of stroke.

TIA and Minor Stroke

We interviewed 37 people (including some family members) who had experience of TIA or minor stroke, or it was suspected they may have had one. ‘TIA’ is an abbreviation for ‘transient ischaemic attack’. A TIA is a sudden onset problem with the functioning of one part of the brain which gets better usually within a short space of time but can last up to 24 hours. A ‘minor stroke’ is a longer-lasting problem, with mild but persisting symptoms. The risk of having a major stroke in the first few days after a TIA is very high, so early diagnosis and treatment is very important. People talked to us about their symptoms, how they got help, what treatment they have had and what their life has been like since.