Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a condition in which a person experiences seizures. These seizures can result from the excessive discharge of energy by nerve cells in the brain. Some researchers compare the seizures to an engine misfiring: "The seizures in epilepsy are sudden, episodic, and recurrent." Seizures can be of two types: partial and generalized. Partial seizures affect only one part of the brain. Generalized seizures affect the entire brain. Because each brain is slightly different in terms of its chemical makeup, seizures manifest themselves in a wide variety of ways.

Seizures range from peculiar sensations to a total lapse of consciousness. In terms of outward appearance, the patient may experience a slight twitching of facial features or an appearance of disorientation. These are the mild cases. Mild cases characterized by only seconds-long lapses in consciousness are known as petit mal. In severe cases, the patient will fall to the floor, become stiff, then jerk the b

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reated group showed a 34 percent drop in the number of the most damaging seizures." Surgery has proven effective in controlling epilepsy in some patients, particularly those with partial-onset epilepsy. In surgery, the affected part of the brain is removed. The majority of patients see substantial improvement and some patients even experience full recovery. Patients must be specially screened before surgery is attempted, however, and surgery is not recommended for patients with generalized epilepsy. For patients with partial epilepsy, the disorder must be localized in a relatively small area of the brain so that removal will not affect the patient's mental capacity. Also, the patient must have exhausted all reasonable drug therapy approaches. Lastly, the patient must carefully weigh the costs and benefits of surgery: "If one feels that the disorder in all its ramifications interferes with one's life-style seriously enough to warrant the risk of surgery, this criterion is met." Since half of all epilepsy patients do not respond to drug therapy and surgery is not a common option for treatment, some physicians have tried psychological approaches with some success. Many patients have found that stress and tension play a
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