SPOTLIGHT
Story by Angela Kyle | Design by Anthony Cole
What is Epilepsy? Epilepsy is “a neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness or convulsions, associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain,” according to Lexicon, a dictionary created by Oxford University. Seizures are commonly known to play a role in epilepsy, but they might be more complicated than you think. When you think of a seizure, you might imagine someone falling to the ground and shaking uncontrollably, but this may not always be the case. Seizures come in many different forms as there are over 13 types of seizures, according to The Epilepsy Foundation. Two more common types of seizures are absence seizures and generalized tonic-clonic seizures, as clarified by The Epilepsy Foundation. “Absence seizures involve brief, sudden lapses of consciousness,” explains Mayo Clinic. “Someone having an absence seizure may look like he or she is staring blankly into space for a few seconds. Then there is a quick return to a normal level of alertness.” On the other hand, a generalized tonic-clonic seizure is one that “ involves the entire body… The terms seizure, convulsion or epilepsy are most often associated with generalized tonic-clonic seizures,” explains MedlinePlus. Director of Operations and Programs with Atlas Assistance Dogs and individual with non-epileptic seizures Molly Neher states, “It doesn’t look like
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FALL 2019 | ISSUE TWO
a generalized falling on the floor and seizing, sometimes I stare off into space… [It is] important to understand [that] epilepsy isn’t just about the seizure itself, it’s everything including what happens prior and after, side effects of the medication, what you can and can’t do and constant worries.”
1/26 people will develop epilepsy in the U.S. at some point in their life*