What is Epilepsy?
So what is epilepsy? What is a seizure? Will I have seizures forever? You may have a lot of questions about epilepsy. We will help you understand the basics, answer the most common questions, and help you find resources and other information you may need. However, information alone won’t help you manage your epilepsy and find a way to cope with the effects on your daily life. You’ll need to learn how to use the information and make it work for you. We are updating sections that will help you develop the skills you may need in using the information on this site (You can’t empower anyone with information, one can provide an empowering environment or facilitate feeling empowered, but we can’t give power to other people) .
Watch this introductory video series presented by Dr. Fisher, MD, Professor of Neurology and Director of the Stanford Epilepsy Center
Epilepsy is a neurological condition, which affects the nervous system. Epilepsy is also known as a seizure disorder. It is usually diagnosed after a person has had at least two seizures that were not caused by some known medical condition like alcohol withdrawal, extremely low blood sugar, heart problems or some other medical condition. Sometimes, according to the International League Against Epilepsy, epilepsy can be diagnosed after one seizure, if a person has a condition that places them at high risk for having another.
Seizures are a symptom of something going on in the brain. Seizures seen in epilepsy are caused by disturbances in the electrical activity of the brain. The seizures in epilepsy may be related to a brain injury or a family tendency, but most of the time the cause is unknown. The word "epilepsy" does not indicate anything about the cause of the person's seizures, what type they are, or how severe they are. There are many different types of seizures.