Resources & Links
- Epilepsy FoundationWe improve and save lives through our community services, public education, access-to-care campaign, research initiatives, and funding new therapies.
- Epilepsy: Mayo ClinicEpilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations and sometimes loss of awareness.
Research & Reference
- Epilepsy: Credo ReferenceA Credo Reference landing page on epilepsy. This page includes links to reference works, journal articles, and a mind map.
- What Is Epilepsy?Epilepsy is a brain disorder which occurs when neurons, the brain cells, do not function properly. It can be caused due to sickness or a head injury. The attack takes place when neurons release too much energy or work too fast. Some children have epilepsy when they are young.
Statistics
- Epilepsy in the U.S.This dossier provides some of the most important facts and figures concerning epilepsy in the United States. Included in the document are figures on the prevalence of epilepsy in the U.S., treatment, medication use, and deaths.
- Epilepsy in the U.S. - Statistics & FactsEpilepsy is a general term used to describe a group of related neurological disorders characterized by recurrent seizures. Seizures among epileptics can vary in frequency and seriousness and can last a few seconds or a few minutes. Some of the most common seizure triggers among epileptics include bright flashing lights, stress, lack of sleep, illness or fever, and alcohol, caffeine, and other drugs.
Streaming Media
- Epilepsy DefinedSimply stated, epilepsy is an electrical storm in the brain—but that definition is the only thing that is simple about epilepsy, a vastly complex mental disorder. This program uses case studies of two boys, 9 and 16, and a 10-year-old girl as a starting point for creating a broadly inclusive definition of epilepsy that references febrile seizures, partial and complex seizures, generalized seizures, tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures, status seizures, and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. In addition, medical specialists discuss causes of epilepsy, typical ages of onset, diagnosis methods, and a spectrum of treatments that includes ketogenic nutrition, medications, vagal nerve stimulation, and brain surgery.
- Young People and EpilepsyEpilepsy is the world's most common serious brain disorder and is characterised by a tendency to have recurrent seizures. A seizure is the physical sign that there has been a disruption to the normal functioning of the brain. Most seizures are spontaneous and brief yet self-limiting and can involve loss of consciousness, a range of unusual movements, odd feelings and sensations or changed behaviour. Increased community awareness and understanding of epilepsy can reduce its impact on those who are diagnosed with this condition.
Perspectives
Atlas of Epilepsies
Atlas of Epilepsies is a landmark, all-encompassing, illustrated reference work and hands-onguide to the diagnosis, management and treatment of epilepsy in all its forms and across all age groups. The premier text in the field with over one thousand images, the Atlas's highlyillustrative approach tackles the difficult subject of epileptic seizures and epileptic syndromes,accompanied by sequential photographs of each management step. Intraoperative photographs are accompanied by detailed figure legends describing nuances, subtleties,and the thought processes involved in each step, providing a fuller understanding of eachprocedure. The Atlas draws on the expertise of over 300 internationally-renowned experts, and is liberally interspersed with clinical insights and personal vignettes that offer helpful tips,technical advice and critical knowledge to the clinician and scholar. The thorough and complete table of contents includes dedicated sections or chapters on important topics such as neonatal and pediatric seizures; imitators of epilepsy; EEG and neuroimaging; psychiatric and quality of life aspects of epilepsy; and a complete guide to treatment options including current and up-to-date chapters on pharmaceuticals, surgical procedures, and additional and alternative treatments. No other publication addresses epilepsies as thoroughly and completely as the Atlas of Epilepsies. Exhaustive and illustrative, convenient and current, this reference is sure to be the premier text on epilepsy for many years to come.
The Treatment of Epilepsy
Thoroughly updated, the Fourth Edition of The Treatment of Epilepsy: Principles and Practice remains the most comprehensive single-volume clinical reference on the epilepsies. In one convenient source, the book provides a broad, detailed, and cohesive overview of seizure disorders and contemporary treatment options, bringing together the most vital work in the neurosciences, genetics, electroencephalography, pediatric and adult neurology, neuropharmacology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. This edition includes a new chapter on the pharmacogenetics of antiepileptic medications, complete information on new drugs, and current guidelines for use of older drugs. Other chapters present fresh new material on epilepsy surgery and neuroimaging.
Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Now with a new Afterword from the author Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Downexplores the clash between a small county hospital in California and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with severe epilepsy. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest, and the Salon Book Award, Anne Fadiman's compassionate account of this cultural impasse is literary journalism at its finest. ______ Lia Lee 1982-2012 Lia Lee died on August 31, 2012. She was thirty years old and had been in a vegetative state since the age of four. Until the day of her death, her family cared for her lovingly at home.