- Epilepsy Slideshow
- Brain Disorders Image Collection
- Take the Epilepsy (Seizure Disorder) Quiz
- Epilepsy and Seizures FAQs
- Patient Comments: Seizure (Epilepsy) - Effective Treatments
- Patient Comments: Seizure (Epilepsy) - Share Your Experience
- Patient Comments: Seizure (Epilepsy) - Lifestyle
- Find a local Neurologist in your town
- Epilepsy Facts*
- What is epilepsy?
- What causes epilepsy?
- What are the different kinds of seizures?
- Focal seizures
- Generalized seizures
- What are the different kinds of epilepsy?
- When are seizures not epilepsy?
- First seizures
- Febrile seizures
- Nonepileptic events
- How is epilepsy diagnosed?
- Can epilepsy be prevented?
- How can epilepsy be treated?
- How does epilepsy affect daily life?
- Are there special risks associated with epilepsy?
- What research is being done on epilepsy?
- How can I help research on epilepsy?
- What to do if you see someone having a seizure
- Where can I get more information?
Quick GuideEpilepsy Pictures Slideshow: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
Sometimes people appear to have seizures, even though their brains show no seizure activity. This type of phenomenon has various names, including nonepileptic events and pseudoseizures. Both of these terms essentially mean something that looks like a seizure but isn't one. Nonepileptic events that are psychological in origin may be referred to as psychogenic seizures. Psychogenic seizures may indicate dependence, a need for attention, avoidance of stressful situations, or specific psychiatric conditions. Some people with epilepsy have psychogenic seizures in addition to their epileptic seizures. Other people who have psychogenic seizures do not have epilepsy at all. Psychogenic seizures cannot be treated in the same way as epileptic seizures. Instead, they are often treated by mental health specialists.
Other nonepileptic events may be caused by narcolepsy, Tourette syndrome, cardiac arrythmia, and other medical conditions with symptoms that resemble seizures. Because symptoms of these disorders can look very much like epileptic seizures, they are often mistaken for epilepsy. Distinguishing between true epileptic seizures and nonepileptic events can be very difficult and requires a thorough medical assessment, careful monitoring, and knowledgeable health professionals. Improvements in brain scanning and monitoring technology may improve diagnosis of nonepileptic events in the future.