How to Identify Types of Epilepsy

An important part of your doctor's diagnosis of epilepsy will be to identify its type. Each type of epilepsy has different symptoms and causes that help establish the appropriate treatment method. These tips will help you better understand how doctors identify epilepsy,

Instructions

• 1

  Determine if you have idiopathic generalized epilepsy, a common type of epilepsy that in most cases occurs in children but may not appear until you are an adult. This type of epilepsy is often found in people with family members in previous generations who also had epilepsy, though the term "idiopathic" refers to the fact that the exact cause for epilepsy can not be determined. The term "generalized" is used to indicate that the seizures occur throughout the entire brain and not in one specific area.

• 2

  Learn the types of seizures that affect people with idiopathic generalized epilepsy and how they are treated. Myconlic seizures, or very sudden, quick seizures, and absence seizures, which cause uncontrollable staring, are common to this type of epilepsy. Medication is usually the recommended treatment, and some people who have the condition as children eventually outgrow it.

• 3

  Understand that idiopathic partial epilepsy is another type of epilepsy that is almost exclusively found in children and often suggests a history of epilepsy in one's family. This form of epilepsy is very mild and most often will completely disappear by the time a child finishes puberty. The seizures related to this condition usually happen while a child is sleeping.

• 4

  Become familiar with symptomatic generalized epilepsy, which is usually accompanied by a large variety of seizures. The term "symptomatic," which distinguishes this type of epilepsy from idiopathic types, suggests that the cause for seizures related to this condition may be possible to identify, at least partially. Severe brain injury that occurred during birth is most often the cause. This damage is generally spread throughout the brain and may be related to other neurological conditions like mental retardation or infectious diseases like meningitis.

• 5

  Determine if you have symptomatic partial epilepsy, sometimes referred to as focal epilepsy, meaning that the seizures are found in certain areas of the brain rather than throughout the organ. This type of epilepsy is the most widespread type found in adults, though it is also common in children. Trauma to the brain, strokes, infections and tumors are common causes related to this type of epilepsy, which is often treated with surgery.