What problems can epilepsy cause?

People with epilepsy are more likely to have psychological problems, especially depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Problems may be a result of difficulties dealing with the condition itself as well as medication side effects, but even people with well-controlled epilepsy are at increased risk.

What does epilepsy do to a person?

In epilepsy, the electrical signals in the brain become scrambled and there are sometimes sudden bursts of electrical activity. This is what causes seizures. In most cases, it's not clear why this happens.

What are the long term effects of epileptic seizures?

Usually, a seizure does not cause any lasting damage to the brain. However, having many seizures, or having seizures that are particularly severe, may cause a person to become more forgetful or find it difficult to concentrate. People with epilepsy have an increased risk of developing depression.

Is epilepsy considered life threatening?

In some cases, epilepsy can be fatal. A person with epilepsy can die after an epileptic seizure without any clear cause. The name for this is SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy).

Is epilepsy a disability?

Epilepsy is considered a disability and it has a listing in the Social Security Administration (SSA) Blue Book. For epilepsy to qualify for disability benefits, it must meet the criteria of the Blue Book listing. There are different listings for epilepsy in the Blue Book.

How long can a person with epilepsy live?

Reduction in life expectancy can be up to 2 years for people with a diagnosis of idiopathic/cryptogenic epilepsy, and the reduction can be up to 10 years in people with symptomatic epilepsy. Reductions in life expectancy are highest at the time of diagnosis and diminish with time.

Does epilepsy damage your brain?

Prolonged seizures are clearly capable of injuring the brain. Isolated, brief seizures are likely to cause negative changes in brain function and possibly loss of specific brain cells.

Can epilepsy change your personality?

Epilepsy can be accompanied by changes in cognition, personality, affect, and other elements of behavior. There is no single epileptic constitution or personality complex.

What are good jobs for epileptics?

People with epilepsy are successfully employed in a variety of jobs that might be considered high-risk: police officer, firefighter, welder, butcher, construction worker, etc. Epilepsy is a highly variable disorder and it is difficult to generalize about safety issues.

What triggers epilepsy?

Triggers can differ from person to person, but common triggers include tiredness and lack of sleep, stress, alcohol, and not taking medication. For some people, if they know what triggers their seizures, they may be able to avoid these triggers and so lessen the chances of having a seizure.

What should epileptics avoid?

Seizure triggers

• Not taking epilepsy medicine as prescribed.
• Feeling tired and not sleeping well.
• Stress.
• Alcohol and recreational drugs.
• Flashing or flickering lights.
• Monthly periods.
• Missing meals.
• Having an illness which causes a high temperature.

What are the warning signs of epilepsy?

Epilepsy: Seizure Triggers, Warning Signs, and Symptoms

• Temporary confusion—often described as a “fuzzy” feeling.
• A staring spell.
• Uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs.
• Loss of consciousness or awareness.
• Psychic symptoms—out-of-body feelings or not feeling “in the moment”
• Memory lapses.

Can I join the military with epilepsy?

Epilepsy sufferers are also prohibited from joining the armed forces, though they may work in certain civilian military positions. Employment issues are responsible for 85% of the cost of epilepsy on society. In the United States, the median income for persons with epilepsy is 93% that of all persons.

What jobs can I not do with epilepsy?

If you have seizures, you may not be able to do jobs that risk your safety or the safety of other people. These include: jobs that involve driving. working at heights, near open water or fire.

Can I drive with epilepsy?

To drive, you must meet all normal driving requirements and must have been completely free of seizures for one year, with or without taking anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). Different regulations may apply if your seizures do not affect your consciousness (see below).

Do people with epilepsy have anger issues?

Epilepsy (especially complex partial seizures) frequently has been associated with aggressive behavior in the minds of people in general and even in the medical literature.

Can epilepsy cause memory problems?

Seizures. Any type of epileptic seizure could potentially affect your memory, either during or after a seizure. If you have lots of seizures, memory problems might happen more often. Some people have generalised seizures that affect all of the brain.

Do seizures make you emotional?

After a seizure, you may feel anxious or depressed for days or weeks, if the parts of the brain that affect mood are recovering from the seizure. Confusion or memory loss after a seizure can also be worrying or depressing. Before a seizure you may feel irritable, anxious, depressed or aggressive.

Does epilepsy get worse with age?

The incidence of any type of seizure increases substantially over the age of 60, commonly due to other neurological conditions such as dementia or stroke.

Does epilepsy cause dementia?

People with epilepsy develop Alzheimer's disease at a rate 6 times higher than the non-epileptic population, and seizures can damage the memory centers of the brain and contribute to dementia.

Are seizures painful?

In general, the actual experience of having a seizure does not hurt. Pain during seizures is rare . Some types of seizures make you lose consciousness.

Is epilepsy a death sentence?

Each year, more than 1 in 1,000 people with epilepsy die from SUDEP. This is the leading cause of death in people with uncontrolled seizures.

Can epilepsy go away?

Treatment with medications or sometimes surgery can control seizures for the majority of people with epilepsy. Some people require lifelong treatment to control seizures, but for others, the seizures eventually go away. Some children with epilepsy may outgrow the condition with age.

Does exercise help epilepsy?

Exercise helps people to stay fit and healthy. If you have epilepsy, this may help to reduce the number of seizures you have. Exercise can also improve mood and relieve stress. As stress is a common trigger for seizures, exercise may help to prevent seizures for some people.

Can someone with epilepsy join the police?

There are no federal laws barring people with epilepsy from working as a firefighter, police officer, correctional officer or in other law enforcement officer (LEO) jobs. In fact, federal civil rights law, and many state laws, may protect your right to work in these professions.