At the moment around 250,000 Australians, or 1% of our population, live with epilepsy.
The is no known cure for epilepsy. The medical community are working hard to better understand epilepsy, discovering new treatments and find a cure.
Many organisations, just like the Epilepsy Foundation, are also working hard to raise awareness of epilepsy and give support to all those affected.
In this section, we talk about epilepsy, its causes and history. We share information about the health professionals who care for people with epilepsy.
Whether you are a person living with epilepsy or care for someone who does, we hope that you find this information useful.
What is a Seizure?
A seizure is a burst of uncontrolled electrical and chemical activity in the brain that can affect a person’s movement, behaviour, sensation, and level or awareness.
People with epilepsy can have a wide range of seizure types. Every person’s experience of seizure is different, and not all seizures are alike, although the patterns of seizures tend to be consistent within an individual.
Seizures can start in one part of the brain, or they can quickly spread to the whole brain. Different parts of the brain are responsible for different functions, so where a seizure starts or spreads will determine how it affects parts of the body. This is one reason why seizures can look so different between people.
Diagnosing Epilepsy
Diagnosing epilepsy is not always easy. The doctor will usually consider the person’s background and medical history, conduct a physical examination, as well as refer them for tests and investigations, to assess the type of seizures and make a diagnosis.
You are likely to meet other medical and health professionals along the way. Information about the different healthcare professionals who may be on your treating team can be found here.
Not sure what we’re talking about?
Seizure First Aid
This section provides information about seizure first aid for different kinds of seizures. We also look at what first aid should be used in different settings, like when a seizure happens.