FAQs

From driving to dating, sports to activities, homework to that first job, teens face a lot of challenges. Teens who have epilepsy face other challenges, such as explaining seizures to people, wondering how their friends are going to react, or never knowing when the next seizure is going to happen.

One of the biggest challenges is that other teens – including friends and classmates – may not know much about epilepsy. Seizures look strange, there is no getting around that. A little knowledge goes a long way, though, and if people know what seizures are and how to respond appropriately to them, then teens with epilepsy won’t have to feel worried or ashamed that their medical condition will set them apart or exclude them from their friends. Nobody wants to be different, but if you have a difference that affects your life, people just have to deal with it. Answering some of the questions that teens have about epilepsy is what this Web site is all about.

Q. What is epilepsy?
A. Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain that sometimes makes people have seizures. The seizures can cause a temporary change in the electrical function of the brain, which can affect a person’s awareness, movement or sensations.

Q. What is a seizure?
A. Brain cells are constantly communicating with each other using tiny electrical signals. When there is a glitch in this electrical activity, it can cause a seizure. There are many different types of seizures. Some can make you fall and shake. Others make you stare into space, act confused or have convulsions. Seizures can affect the entire brain, or just a small part of it.

Q. What causes epilepsy?
A. That’s hard to say. In most cases (about 70%), doctors don't know why a person has epilepsy. However, there are many things that
can lead to epilepsy including problems in development before birth, severe infections that involve the brain, a severe head injury, poisoning or certain genetic factors.

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