Thai doctor: Sleep disorder narcolepsy should be added to conditions preventing Thais to drive

 

Picture: Daily News

 

A prominent Thai doctor at a Bangkok hospital has gone online to warn about the neurological condition known as narcolepsy.

 

Dr Manoon Leechawengwong of Vichaiyut Hospital thinks that if left untreated this condition can be dangerous both for patients and other road users. 

 

He thinks it should be added to medical conditions forbidding Thais to drive. A review of the diseases on this list is currently underway, notes Thaivisa. 

 

Dr Manoon posted about the case of a 19 year old woman who fell asleep behind the wheel and caused a serious accident injuring many people. She had had the condition since early childhood. 

 

The cause of the condition is unknown but it can be hereditary in some cases. He said that about one in 2,000 people can suffer from it to varying degrees and he himself had treated four cases.

 

Lifestyle changes and medication may help the condition though there is no cure and sufferers have it for life. Symptoms include brief involuntary sleep episodes and sudden loss of muscle strength. This can be brought on my strong emotions.

 

Hallucinations can also occur in some cases.

 

Other countries have regulations about the condition. 

 

The website of NarcolepsyUK states: Many people with narcolepsy are able to drive. However, narcolepsy is a condition that may affect your ability to drive safely, and you will be permitted to drive only if DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - the organisation that licenses cars and drivers for driving on public roads in the UK) is satisfied that your condition is controlled well enough that allowing you to drive will not cause an unacceptable risk to you and to other people.

 

Source: Daily News

 

 

 

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Good news for many Thai drivers. This can be added to 'brake failure' as an accepted excuse for speeding. poor driving skills or excess alcohol.

No-one with narcolepsy should be driving.  As I understand it, if you suffer from this condition you can be wide awake and then, without any warning, be fast asleep.  It can be worse than epilepsy in this respect as epileptics usually get some warning that they are about to have a seizure.

 

My BIL, back in UK, was a narcolepsy sufferer and was completely irresponsible about his condition and would not voluntarily give up driving.  He had many minor accidents because of falling asleep at the wheel but still would not report his condition to the DVLA.  Inevitably, he eventually had a more serious accident, resulting in injuries to third parties.  The DVLA eventually withdrew his licence because his doctor refused to certify him as fit to drive.

 

He could be on to something here my Mrs can fall asleep in 10 seconds 2 at a push????

Insanity when such obviously dangerous (for driving) conditions are even discussed. 

 

Time and effort is being spent on a tiny facet of road safety, drawing headlines when the absolutely obvious ‘elephant in the room’ issues are being ignored.... 

 

Deal with Drink Driving

Deal with Training Drivers

Deal with effective Policing

Deal with no helmets

 

Those four ‘Major’ items will see the death and accident statics fall dramatically to perhaps a 3rd of their current value. 

 

This needs to be a consistent effort without leeway or allowance for graft (bribes).

 

Deal with Road Fatalities and Accidents effectively, once and for all and stop this delicate dancing around the real issues.

 

 

Who has narcolepsy? an infinitesimally minor proportion of the population. (of course these should be b

 

 

9 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

He could be on to something here my Mrs can fall asleep in 10 seconds 2 at a push????

 

You’re ‘doing it’ wrong !!!.. 

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

You’re ‘doing it’ wrong !!!.. 

Not doing it at all from where I Am ????

prior to that change dui law to jail term for 1st offence..

1 hour ago, webfact said:

He said that about one in 2,000 people can suffer from it to varying degrees and he himself had treated four cases.

........................all of whom drove home after appointments !

should they advertise: don't drink, don't use drugs, don't play your phone, actually stop at red lights...

Self driving cars and remove the steering wheel. It's the only hope of improving Thai traffic.

Thailand is a tier 2 country for driving. Its driver licences cannot be converted to licences in tier 1 countries without a tier 1 level road test, because the levels of competence are not high enough.

 

To get to tier 1 status why doesn't Thailand learn about what works in tier 1 countries instead of trying to make things up on its own.

 

When the Thai authorities try to make up their own rules they will go down the route of banning and cracking down on things to push the people down. Really they should go down the route of empowering, upskilling and educating people to build them up. 

 

However, when you have the army in charge..... which way will they go....  sad really.

Edited August 26, 20206 yr by Ketyo

No Doubt the Red Bull kid is getting diagnosed for Narcolepsy right now!  

Add tunnel vision to the list too.. especially for those who are lock-staring on their 'GPS'.

 

_{*search for 6 wheeler truck driver on last week news in this forum}

4 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

He could be on to something here my Mrs can fall asleep in 10 seconds 2 at a push????

And anywhere, at any time, in any position, and regardless of the surrounding noise levels. I know this syndrome quite well. My ex was a chronic sufferer, too. So is the current maid... well,  now that I'm thinking about it, ALL the maids I employed over the years were.

1 minute ago, Misterwhisper said:

And anywhere, at any time, in any position, and regardless of the surrounding noise levels. I know this syndrome quite well. My ex was a chronic sufferer, too. So is the current maid... well,  now that I'm thinking about it, ALL the maids I employed over the years were.

You know her then ????

4 hours ago, doctormann said:

As I understand it, if you suffer from this condition you can be wide awake and then, without any warning, be fast asleep. 

Thais can manage this without the condition.

How about adding alcoholism to a reason Thais can't drive? ????

21 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

You know her then ????

Why, does she remember me? ????

3 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

Why, does she remember me? ????

Yes she remembers you falling asleep faster than her ????

narcolepsy.!!!!!!

Should already be on the list I have a freind and he couldnt get a license in his home country in 1984 

 

For crying out loud 

But I do understand

Failure to obey traffic laws should be at the top of the list.  Isn't that the real problem.

Thai narcolepsy:

have to get up early for work, but never go to sleep on time. There is mostly some alcohol involved so the sleep is half as good. Then there is this heat that makes me wanna sleep.

Combined with mai phen rai and there you have your narcolepsy. 

It's not a disease doctor, it's a culture thing.

 

Edited August 26, 20206 yr by hugocnx

Maybe I've had too much Chang tonight, but this has to be the greatest TV headline of the month.

Since Narcolepsy involves falling asleep for no reason, DLT can't use their educational video as a test, can they?

What year is this?  People are still driving with narcolepsy?