Epilepsy
Epilepsy is very common. People with epilepsy are just like everyone else, except that they can have “seizures”. Seizures used to be called “fits”. There are little electrical reactions going on in all of our brains all the time. When someone has a seizure there is some unusual electrical activity in their brain for a few seconds or minutes. They might fall over and make jerky movements, or they might just stare ahead without seeing anything for a few seconds.
Epilepsy can affect anyone. Lots of people who have epilepsy started having seizures during childhood, but it can develop at any age.
Some people with epilepsy are more likely to have a seizure after seeing flashing lights, or when they are tired or have drunk a lot of alcohol. But this is not true for all people with epilepsy.
Who can help?
Most people with epilepsy take medicines that stop them from having seizures or make them very rare. Some people with epilepsy can get extra help. They can find out about getting help from their Doctor (GP) or by calling Social Services whose number is in the phone book.
If someone in your family has epilepsy, sometimes it might be hard for you to explain to other people about their seizures. The person with epilepsy could carry a card that tells people about what to do if they have a seizure so that you don’t have to try to explain it to them.
There might be times when a person has more seizures. If this happens, they need to talk to their doctor because they might need to change medicines. Or they might be forgetting to take their medicines. They could draw a chart to remind themselves. If you are worried about someone with epilepsy, you could talk to them about how you feel, or you could talk to us!
Why do people have Epilepsy?
Some people have epilepsy from when they were born. Some people start to have epilepsy after they have had a serious accident like being hit very hard on the head. Doctors don’t always know what causes epilepsy in some people.
If someone in your family has epilepsy from when they were born, you might be a little bit more likely to develop epilepsy, but you cannot catch epilepsy off another person.
Some people who have epilepsy have other conditions as well like learning disabilities.
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