Epliepsy

Epilepsy

Chriscilla Gutierrez

Stevens Henager College

January 16, 2012

Epilepsy

The human brain is a magnificent organ weighing only three pounds, is able to be held in just one hand and is seemingly unassuming when taken out of the human body. Yet, when functioning inside the human body, the brain is a highly specialized organ in control of all other body systems and functions (Diamond, 2005). The brain uses a network made of 100 billion neurons to communicate and control all these systems and functions by sending and receiving signals. These signals travel from 0.5 meters per second to 120 meters per second which can be equivalent to 268 miles an hour (Chudler, 2009). It is therefore not surprising when damage occurs to this controlling organ of the body or its neural network, a number of problems can arise. Epilepsy is one such problem.

A disorder of the brain, Epilepsy can cause harmful effects and disrupt normal, everyday living. Epilepsy occurs when the neural network in the brain sends out too many signals at once or abnormal signals. The receiving organ systems are not able to properly interpret these abnormal or abundant signals and the body reacts inappropriately or responds with uncharacteristic functions. These reactions or responses are manifested by repeated, unpredictable seizures. Because of the random nature of seizures, many people with Epilepsy find it hard to maintain employment. Seizures can also cause physical injury such as self-inflicted bites, cuts, scrapes and bruises from falling during a seizure. Serious injury or death can occur if a seizure happens while operating machinery or driving a vehicle. In many cases, people with Epilepsy are not able to obtain a driver’s license. (Campellone & Zieve, 2011).

Seizures are the only sign and/or symptom of Epilepsy, however, these seizures can be varied in type, in scale and from person to person. Forty percent of seizures are Complex Partial (CP) seizures. The...