Epilepsy is a fairly popular brain disorders in America. There are about 2 million individuals who are suffering with this illness to this day. To add of the 125, 000 of the new cases, half of that number are children and adolescents. These numbers may sound alarming but Epilepsy is still an extremely confusing illness, and is still under extensive research to better understand this disorder. This report would try to explain the best it can epilepsy and how it is caused. In addition how it is treated and how research is done to find out more information on this illness. Finally I would explain the different types of epilepsy there are out there, and their similarities and differences. .
There are records of this disorder to date back to the Babylonians where at the time was misunderstood. As a result the first individuals who theorized of epilepsy claimed that it was indeed a brain disorder, but since it was such a complicated illness at the time, individuals who were diagnosed with it was considered to be affiliated with evil and possessed by demons or the devil. Others were jailed in mental institutions for the remainder of their lives. Even today it's still a disease that still baffles and frightens many individuals. .
Epilepsy is a physical condition that happens when the brain functions has a sudden, brief change. The brain functions become distorted as a result of an abnormal electrical excitation in the brain. As a result when the brain cells are not functioning in the correct manner, it can cause a person's consciousness, movements, or actions to be altered for a short period of time. This is according to the Epilepsy Foundation of America. These physical changes are known as an epileptic seizure. Therefore epilepsy is also known as a seizure disorder. Even though at times seizures and epilepsy is sometimes used interchangeably, one can experience a seizure and not have epilepsy.