Mental health articles

Getting a clear account of what exactly happened is essential because many conditions can look like seizures. The main information you need to make a correct diagnosis is what an observer tells you about what the seizure looks like, and what the sufferer tells you about the experience of the seizure.

how to prevent seizures

• The first thing to be sure of is that the episode was not a faint.

• Next, make sure that the episode was not a conversion seizure.

• If it is a seizure, determine whether it was the first one. A single seizure is not a rare event. For example, during severe infections, a person may have a seizure, but never have another seizure again.

• Determine the type of the seizure by interviewing both the sufferer and a person who observed the seizure, in order to identify the type of epilepsy.

• Determine the age of the person. Most people with epilepsy have their first seizure before the age of 30. In such people, it is often impossible to find a cause for the epilepsy. If seizures start for the first time after the age of 30 (and especially after the age of 40), the chances that the person has another medical problem causing the seizures are high. Most of these diseases will also cause other symptoms, such as fever and headache, but sometimes the seizures may be the only sign of the disease.

Tags: seizures