Visit gov. Find out more about driving and epilepsy. The Equality Act aims to protect people against discrimination if they have a disability. Someone has a disability if they have "a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities". Here 'substantial' means it is difficult or time-consuming to do activities compared to someone without a disability, and 'long-term' means at least 12 months.
The Equality Act does not include a list of every disability covered. Although epilepsy is listed as a physical disability, dissociative seizures is not listed.
To be protected by the Equality Act you need to show that you meet the definition above. Download the PDF Order the leaflet from our shop. Skip to content. Skip to navigation. Site Navigation About epilepsy About epilepsy What is epilepsy? Epileptic seizures Seizure types Diagnosing epilepsy Epilepsy treatment Anti-seizure medication Medication Sodium valproate First aid for epileptic seizures Information for carers Information for parents Teaching children with epilepsy Personal stories Living with epilepsy Living with epilepsy Travel and holidays What help is available?
Non-epileptic seizures and dissociative seizures. Describing dissociative seizures There are several different types of seizures, and they can happen for many different reasons.
What causes epileptic seizures? Dissociative seizures Some NES are caused by mental or emotional processes, rather than by a physical cause. What causes dissociative seizures? Dissociative seizures are often caused by traumatic events such as: major accidents severe emotional upset such as the death of a loved one psychological stress such as a divorce difficult relationships physical or sexual abuse being bullied. What are the symptoms? Who has dissociative seizures?
Dissociative seizures are: more common in women more likely to start in young adults more likely to happen to people who have had an injury or disease or who have had severe emotional upset or stressful life events more common in people with other psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, personality disorders or people who self-harm.
How are dissociative seizures diagnosed? Taking a personal history Tests used to find the cause of seizures cannot, on their own, confirm a diagnosis. This includes looking at: your neurological history about your brain and nervous system and its development your psychological development and mental health, including whether you have had depression or other psychiatric conditions or have been subject to stress and trauma in the past whether there is a family history of depression or other conditions the history of your seizures, such as when they first started and when they happen whether you have been diagnosed with epilepsy but your seizures have never been controlled with anti-epileptic drugs.
The specialist might ask you about: when your seizures happen whether you get any warning before a seizure happens what happens to you during the seizure. Medical Tests Some tests are used to rule out other causes of seizures, including epilepsy. Medical examinations and blood tests can be used to check your overall health and see if your seizures have a physical cause such as diabetes.
Brain scans such as CT computerised tomography or MRI magnetic resonance imaging are used to form a picture of your brain. This may show a physical cause for epileptic seizures, but would not usually be helpful in diagnosing dissociative seizures. An EEG electroencephalogram records the electrical activity of the brain. It is often used to see if seizures are caused by disrupted brain activity, which helps to diagnose epilepsy.
Dissociative seizures are not caused by changes in brain activity. Video telemetry involves having an EEG and being filmed at the same time.
This compares what a person is doing with what is happening in their brain during the seizure, and can often show the difference between epileptic and dissociative seizures. This can help to diagnose epilepsy if, during a seizure, your brain activity changes or diagnose dissociative seizures if, during a seizure, your brain activity does not change. Treatment options Treatment may depend on the cause of your seizures, and your medical history. Medication Seizures that are not epileptic will not be controlled by anti-epileptic drugs AEDs.
Other forms of treatment Psychotherapy is the recommended treatment for dissociative seizures. See more about epilepsy treatment. How you feel about your diagnosis Being diagnosed with any condition can cause many different emotions, and can affect many parts of your life. Other types of non-epileptic seizures There are other types of NES and these can be divided into two types: those that have an organic cause and those that have a psychological cause. NES that have an organic cause These seizures have a physical cause relating to the body.
Your doctor may have to run a lot of tests to uncover the cause of your seizures, and it may take several medications to find the right fix. Some people with epilepsy benefit from different diets, like the keto diet and modified Atkins diets. Get the facts on these diets and how they may….
Epilepsy is a disorder caused by unusual nerve cell activity in the brain. Each year, about , Americans are diagnosed with this central nervous….
Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Heidi Moawad, M. Epilepsy vs. What is epilepsy? How is epilepsy diagnosed? Why do people get epilepsy? Can you prevent epilepsy? What are common risk factors for developing epilepsy? What are the symptoms of epilepsy?
How is epilepsy treated? The bottom line. They may come and go so quickly that no one notices anything wrong. Or observers may mistake the symptoms for simple daydreaming or not paying attention. Absence seizures are most common in children from age 4 to However, older teens and adults may also have absence seizures.
When an absence seizure ends, the person usually continues doing whatever they were doing before the seizure. They are almost always wide awake and able to think clearly. Generally, no first aid is needed for this type of seizure. When absence seizures happen close together or a person has many in a day, the person may look or act confused and lose track of what has been going on. For children in school, they may not be aware of what has happened in the classroom, miss instructions from the teacher, or have incomplete work.
Certain seizure medicines can help prevent absence seizures. Usually these are recommended for most children. The medicines most commonly used for absence seizures include ethosuximide Zarontin , lamotrigine Lamictal , valproic acid Depakene , or divalproex sodium Depakote.
In about 7 out of 10 children with absence seizures, the seizures may go away by age If this happens, medicines may not be needed as an adult.
Some types of epilepsy, which are categorized by the type of seizure you experience or the part of the brain that is affected, run in families. In these cases, it's likely that there's a genetic influence. Researchers have linked some types of epilepsy to specific genes, but for most people, genes are only part of the cause of epilepsy. Certain genes may make a person more sensitive to environmental conditions that trigger seizures. Having a seizure at certain times can lead to circumstances that are dangerous to yourself or others.
Car accidents. A seizure that causes either loss of awareness or control can be dangerous if you're driving a car or operating other equipment. Many states have driver's license restrictions related to a driver's ability to control seizures and impose a minimum amount of time that a driver be seizure-free, ranging from months to years, before being allowed to drive.
Pregnancy complications. Seizures during pregnancy pose dangers to both mother and baby, and certain anti-epileptic medications increase the risk of birth defects. If you have epilepsy and you're considering becoming pregnant, talk to your doctor as you plan your pregnancy. Most women with epilepsy can become pregnant and have healthy babies. You'll need to be carefully monitored throughout pregnancy, and medications may need to be adjusted. It's very important that you work with your doctor to plan your pregnancy.
People with epilepsy also have a small risk of sudden unexpected death. The cause is unknown, but some research shows it may occur due to heart or respiratory conditions. People with frequent tonic-clonic seizures or people whose seizures aren't controlled by medications may be at higher risk of SUDEP.
It's most common in those with severe epilepsy that doesn't respond to treatment. Epilepsy care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Epilepsy is a central nervous system neurological disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations and sometimes loss of awareness.
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