Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder rather than a mere psychological one. However, it is a common disorder often coming with mental diseases and, thus, we decided to include it on our website.

Common symptoms

It is generally diagnosed once someone experienced at least two unprovoked seizures (disruptions of the electrical stimulation of neurons) separated by a minimum of 24 hours and results in the following symptoms:

  • Temporary confusion
  • A staring spell
  • Uncontrollable jerking movements of arms and legs
  • Loss of consciousness or awareness
  • Psychic symptoms (e.g. fear, anxiety, déjà vu).

Reasons for Epilepsy

The reasons for Epilepsy are only known in about half the cases. In those identified cases, the disorder might be caused by genetic influences, head traumata, brain damages resulting from tumours or strokes, infectious diseases (e.g. AIDS and meningitis), prenatal brain injuries or development disorders such as autism.

Seizures

Seizures can be dangerous, especially when they cause the patient to fall or to lose consciousness when being in the water or while driving. They can further lead to pregnancy complications and psychological illnesses, such as depression or anxieties.

With medical treatment and sometimes with surgery, seizures can be controlled for most epileptic patients. In some cases where epilepsy emerges in the young age, the disease even outgrows over time.

What to do

  • As it is the case for every disease, the first step to deal with it is being well informed. The links below lead you to websites with further details on Epilepsy.
  • Epilepsy is a disease that needs medical, if not surgical, treatment. The links below will help you to find professional help.
  • As mentioned earlier, Epilepsy makes the emergence of a mental disease more likely. The best way to account for this is to be aware of this risk. Do you feel particularly depressed or anxious? Read more about  mental diseases and mental health in general.

For more ideas on what you could do, see also the page  What can you generally do.

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