What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a tendency to have seizures (sometimes called fits). A seizure is caused by a sudden burst of excess electrical activity in your brain, causing a temporary disruption in the normal message passing between brain cells. When this happens, your brain’s messages can get mixed up, which can cause you to have a seizure.
Your brain is responsible for all the functions of your body, so what you experience during a seizure will depend on where in your brain the epileptic activity begins and how widely and rapidly it spreads. For this reason, there are many different types of seizure and each person will experience epilepsy in a way that is unique to them.
What causes epilepsy?
Sometimes the reason epilepsy develops is clear. It could be because of brain damage caused by a difficult birth; a severe blow to the head; a stroke which starves the brain of oxygen; or an infection of the brain such as meningitis. For most people there is no known cause for their epilepsy.
Young people and epilepsy
- What is epilepsy?
- How do you know if you've got epilepsy? Have I got epilepsy?
- Treatment
- Coming to terms with epilepsy
- My friend has epilepsy
- Going out
- Alcohol
- Street drugs
- Hormones, sex and contraception
- School, college and university
- Careers
- Driving
- Dear Debbie and Dear Danny
- Real Lives
- getAHEAD - Teenage girls with epilepsy
- In Focus
Epilepsy Helpline
- UK freephone 0808 800 5050
- International +44 113 210 8850
- Online Tuesdays 1900-2100
- Email: helpline@epilepsy.org.uk
- Txt msg: 07797 805 390 info
Epilepsy Action blog
Epilepsy Action is looking for people to take part in the Great North Run this October.
Monica Cooper, Epilepsy Action's epilepsy services manager, took part in BBC Radio 4's 'Law in Action' programme this week.
Welcome to the first posting in the new Epilepsy Action blog.





