Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes people to have recurring seizures. The seizures happen when clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain send out the wrong signals. People may have strange sensations and emotions or behave strangely. They may have violent muscle spasms or lose consciousness.

It can be scary watching someone have an epileptic seizure. The person may lose consciousness or seem unaware of what's going on, make involuntary motions (movements the person has no control over, such as jerking or thrashing one or more parts of the body), or experience unusual feelings or sensations (such as unexplained fear). After a seizure, he or she may feel tired, weak, or confused.

Signs and Symptoms of Epilepsy

Generalized seizures: All areas of the brain (the cortex) are involved in a generalized seizure. Sometimes these are referred to as grand mal seizures. To the observer, the person experiencing such a seizure may cry out or make some sound, stiffen for some seconds, then have rhythmic movements of the arms and legs. Often the rhythmic movements slow before stopping.

Loss of consciousness distinguishes complex partial seizures from simple partial seizures. While unconscious, the patient may have "vacant" or "frightened" look and may have signs and symptoms of a simple partial seizure. Automatisms may occur during unconsciousness.

Complex partial seizures. These seizures alter consciousness, causing you to lose awareness for a period of time. Complex partial seizures often result in staring and nonpurposeful movements — such as hand rubbing, lip smacking, arm positioning, vocalization or swallowing.

Simple partial seizures are further subdivided into four categories according to the nature of their symptoms: motor, autonomic, sensory or psychological. Motor symptoms include movements such as jerking and stiffening. Sensory symptoms caused by seizures involve unusual sensations affecting any of the five senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste or touch). When simple partial seizures cause sensory symptoms only (and not motor symptoms), they are called "auras."

Treatment for Epilepsy

Medications – In many cases, seizures can be successfully prevented with medications. The type of medication your child will receive depends on many factors. Your child's neurologist will explain how the medication should be taken and the side effects that may occur. Over time, your child's medication regimen may be changed. It is very important that your child take their medication exactly as directed. Call your neurologist if you have any questions about the medications or if your child is experiencing unexpected side effects.

Surgery is most commonly done when tests show that your seizures originate in a small, well-defined area in the temporal lobes or the frontal lobes of your brain. Surgery is rarely an option if you have seizures that start in several areas of the brain or if you have seizures originating from a region of the brain that contains vital brain functions.

Do not try to force the mouth open with any hard implement or with fingers. It is not true that a person having a seizure can swallow his/her tongue, and efforts to hold the tongue down can injure his/her teeth or jaw. A person in the middle of a seizure may bite down with enough force to bite off fingers.

Ketogenic diet: Some children with epilepsy have been helped by adopting a rigid diet that's high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrates. The goal of the diet is to get the body to produce ketones, which cause the body to use fat instead of glucose for energy. The exact way in which the ketogenic diet works is unclear.