Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects millions of people around the world. It is characterized by recurrent seizures, which can range from mild to severe. While there is no cure for epilepsy, there are treatments available to help manage the condition. Despite the prevalence of epilepsy, there are still many questions and misconceptions about the disorder. In this blog post, we will explore some of the most common questions people have about epilepsy.
What is Epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that causes recurrent seizures. Seizures are episodes of abnormal electrical activity in the brain that can cause physical symptoms such as convulsions, loss of consciousness, and strange sensations or behaviors. Epilepsy can affect people of any age, but it is most common in children and older adults. There is no cure for epilepsy, but medications and other treatments can help control seizures and improve quality of life.
What Causes Epilepsy?
Currently, there is no known cause of epilepsy and it is a disorder that is more likely to develop in children than adults, although adults can still be affected.
Family history is sometimes the cause of generational epilepsy and can be passed from parent to child.
If you’ve experienced or suffered from a seizure, visiting your doctor is the best place to begin to get a diagnosis. Here a review of your medical history is helpful but most commonly, you will be sent for an EEG test.
What Are the Differences Between a Partial Seizure and a General Seizure?
A partial seizure is a type of seizure that is limited to one area of the brain, while a general seizure involves both sides of the brain. Partial seizures can cause a variety of symptoms, including changes in behavior, sensations, and movements. General seizures can cause a loss of consciousness, convulsions, and other more severe symptoms
Symptoms of General Seizures Include
Convulsions
Crying out or making a noise
Stiffening
Jerky, rhythmic or twitching motions
Falling down
Loss of consciousness
Not breathing
Confusion after returning to consciousness
Loss of bladder control
Biting the tongue
Symptoms of Partial Seizures Include
Jerky or rhythmic movements
Sensations such as tingling, dizziness, feeling full in the stomach
Repetitive motions
Staring
Confusion
Changes in emotions
Altered senses
How is Epilepsy Treated and Managed?
For many with epilepsy proper treatment allows them to live a normal, fruitful life. With proper treatment, seizures can be minimized in frequency and intensity.
Individuals with epilepsy may need to commit to medication for life, however. Anti-seizure medication and lifestyle changes can help immensely in eliminating and minimizing seizures.
Finding the correct dosage and medication is unique for the individual and sometimes may require some trial-and-error, however, your doctor can guide you through the process and help you find medication that works best for you.
Lifestyle changes can also help manage symptoms. This includes monitoring and managing sleep, decreasing unnecessary stress, and following a good diet.
It may be surprising to learn that sleep and seizures are connected but it is the relationship between the electrical activity in the brain during the sleep-wake cycle that can trigger or suppress seizures.
Ensuring that you are getting a restful night's sleep and managing other sleep disorders that sometimes go hand in hand with epilepsy can help decrease stress responsivity, increase cognitive function, and help manage emotion and stress.
Lastly, managing your emotions and stress can also play a major part in managing epilepsy.
Learning to manage stress is also a piece of healing from epilepsy. Stress plays heavily on an individual with epilepsy, whether that is from the seizures themselves, or the emotional guilt or shame associated with the stigmas of the disease.
Unfortunately, seizures can also be caused by psychological disturbances, and therefore anxiety management is also a piece of suppressing the frequency and severity of seizures.
Dissociative seizures may occur as a reaction to painful emotions or thoughts. This is because the seizure is a way of the individual disassociating and not having to feel the difficult emotion or trauma they are experiencing.
Addressing your anxiety can significantly improve your quality of life, self-confidence, and help control the frequency and severity of seizures.
Final Thoughts
Epilepsy is a lifelong condition, but when you approach your healing as a journey, and as an opportunity to learn more about yourself and your condition, it will help you move confidently through navigating the severity and frequency of your seizures.
Gaining control of your seizure gets easier over time and is necessary if you want to improve the quality of your life. You don’t have to walk this journey alone, and we’re here to help. Untangling the anxiety associated with Epilepsy is something we specialize in.
If you have questions about epilepsy counselling, get in touch today to book a free consultation with us and see how we can help you take control of your Epilepsy.