Epilepsy

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes epilepsy as “a brain disorder in which clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain sometimes signal abnormally. In epilepsy, the normal pattern of neuronal activity becomes disturbed, causing strange sensations, emotions, and behavior or sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness. Epilepsy is a disorder with many possible causes.” The following websites provide useful information and resources for people with epilepsy, their families, and the professionals who work with them.

American Epilepsy Society: The Society is a membership organization for professionals concerned with the prevention, treatment and cure of epilepsy. Its website offers current information about research, patient care, education, employment, and other topics of interest to professionals.

CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy): Research news and opportunities.

An Epilepsy Education: Geared for children, this section of the KidsHealth website answers common questions about epilepsy such as What is a seizure?, What happens to a person during a seizure, When do seizures happen?, Do lots of people have it?, How is it treated?, and Does it mean that someone is different?

Epilepsy Foundation of America: The Foundation’s web site offers a wealth of information and resources for individuals with epilepsy and their family members, health care providers, researchers, and the general public. In addition to information about the organization, visitors will find consumer information, current news and publications, the latest research, a kids club, and more.

Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria: The “Epilepsy Information” section of this organization’s web site offers a wide variety of fact sheets on such diverse topics as “Information for Babysitters of Children with Epilepsy, “Memory and Epilepsy,” “Swimming Safely” and “How to Write and Speak about Epilepsy.” The links page includes a listing of epilepsy sites in languages other than English.

General Information About Epilepsy: An overview of epilepsy from the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities.

Ketogenic Diet: The ketogenic diet is a special diet sometimes used to treat seizures. This web site, based at Packard Children’s Hospital, provides information about the diet, parent resources, an e-mail list, and more.

NINDS Epilepsy Information Page: This fact sheet from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke provides an overview of epilepsy, including treatment, prognosis, research, organizations, and related NINDS publications.

Washington University Comprehensive Epilepsy Program: This is a well organized and comprehensive set of links to epilepsy-related documents and web sites.

Related Subjects: Neurological Disorders; Resources in your state