What Is Epilepsy

"Epilepsy affects as many as 2% of Queenslanders. There are more people with epilepsy than with muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease and several others combined. Epilepsy is the world's most common serious brain disorder (WHO, 1997). While in most cases it is diagnosed during the school years, epilepsy may affect anyone at anytime."(Epilepsy Queensland 2005)

The brain normally sends electrical signals throughout the body to control movement. However, when affected by epilepsy, the brain sometimes creates an electrical storm - called a seizure – that disrupts the normal electrical activity causing a temporary communication problem between nerve cells.

That's why you can suddenly experience uncontrolled body movements, unusual sensations, or changes in behaviour or awareness. During a seizure, you may stare into space or be unable to speak or experience strange smells, sounds or sights - without losing consciousness.
Many people develop epilepsy as children or teens. Others develop it later in life. For some people with epilepsy (particularly children), the seizures eventually become less frequent or disappear altogether.
Just because someone has a seizure does not necessarily mean that person has epilepsy, though. Seizures can be triggered in anyone under certain conditions, such as life-threatening dehydration or high temperature. But when a person experiences repeated seizures for no obvious reason, that person is said to have epilepsy.