Understanding Epilepsy: A Neurological Disorder

Epilepsy affects nearly 3 million people in the United States alone, not including the other 47 million people it affects worldwide. “The word "epilepsy" comes from the Greek word epi meaning "upon, at, close upon", and the Greek word Leptos meaning "seizure"” (Nordqvist, 2015). Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which there is a disturbance in the electrical activity in the brain which can then result in periods of convulsions, or unconsciousness. Epilepsy is commonly thought of as a seizure disorder, and can also cause different types of seizures.

To begin, the first category of seizures are focal seizures, also known as partial seizures. Focal seizures are distinguished by abnormal activity in one portion of the brain or at focal point. Furthermore, this category is broken down to include simple partial seizures, and complex partial seizures. Simple partial seizures, or focal seizures without the loss of consciousness, “may alter emotions or change the way things look, smell, feel, taste or sound. They may also result in involuntary jerking of a body part, such as an arm or leg, and spontaneous sensory symptoms such as tingling, dizziness and flashing lights” (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015). However, complex partial seizures, or focal dyscognitive seizures, “involve a change or loss of consciousness or awareness” (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015). This particular kind of seizure will often cause the patient to stare into space, and respond abnormally to their environment. “Following these traits, this particular categorization can often be confused with narcolepsy, migraines, and other neurological

While epilepsy affects millions of people, it is still not understood by a vast majority of the population. If more people were educated of this particular disorder, recognizing it as well as having the common knowledge to treat it, would be a highly beneficial to millions of people