EPILEPSY AWARENESS

INTRODUCTION Of EPILEPSY
AWARENESS
Epilepsy is a neurological condition wherethe patient suffers from seizure
resulting in changes in body movement,sensation, awareness, or
behaviour, which cannot be controlled by the patient.
However, a seizure is one single episode ofsuch a change in electrical
activity. One single episode of a seizure may ormay not be a part of
epilepsy. Instead, it can be a symptom of differentconditions that can
affect the brain, e.g. kidney failure, liver failure,excessive alcohol or illegal
drug intake, some medications, change in bloodglucose levels, fever etc.
Almost 50 million people across the globeare affected. It is found to be the
second leading problem affecting the brainin both urban and rural
populations. So if any one suffers from this conditionshould not feel left
out. Epilepsy is a manageable condition. The good news isthat with any
anti-epileptic medicine, 80 % of people with epilepsy remain freeof
attacks at any point of time. There are a variety of anti-epileptic
drugsavailable. Epilepsy can be controlled with the help different
antiepilepticmedications and should be dealt with a positive approach
towards life.

Some tips to the general public on what isto be done when you see someone suffering
a seizure attack. First of all, donot panic and do not overcrowd around the person. If the
person i standing,make him sit to avoid falls and injuries. If the person is jerking, do not
tryto stop the jerking do not force anything into his mouth. Most of the seizuresstop on
their own. Contact the persons relative or takes the person to anearby medical centre.
Take your medicine at the prescribed times. Do make itknown to your family members,
friends and people who work with you that you areseizure-prone. Tell them what should
be done in case you get an attack in theirpresence. If your child has epilepsy, do inform
the teacher and the schoolauthorities about inform your childs teacher what to do if
your child has aseizure. Follow a balanced diet and do exercise regularly but avoid overexertion.Do have good lighting in the room where and do get a good nights sleep daily.
Equating epilepsy with madness is wrong.There may be associated mood problems like
anxiety or depression in a patientwith epilepsy on account of their disease and
associated issues. People withepilepsy have no greater tendency toward severe
irritability and aggressivebehaviours than other people. Epilepsy does not spread
through toughing orcoughing. Some people have irrational belief that an epileptic
attack can beterminated by making the person smell onions or dirty shoes, or by
placing ametal key in the persons hand.