At present, most doctors would not diagnose a patient as epileptic if they had only suffered a single seizure. This is because epilepsy is defined as a condition in which patients have recurrent seizures. The interplay between these neurones has to be carefully regulated for the brain to function properly. Epileptic attacks happen when an abnormal electrical discharge occurs in the brain, disturbing its normal function. The type of seizure depends upon where this takes place, and how much of the brain is affected.
Epileptic attacks are usually brief, lasting from seconds to a few minutes.
Once the attack is over, the normal electrical activity of the brain resumes. Epilepsy can start at any age, although it tends to first occur in children and the elderly. Epilepsy can be caused by a wide variety of conditions that affect the brain. In over half of those with epilepsy, no structural abnormality in the brain can be found. This is particularly the case when epilepsy starts in children and teenagers.