Facts

More Americans, young and old alike, suffer from epilepsy than Americans with Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy ... combined.
Epilepsy, from the Greek word meaning “to seize,” is a neurological disorder that affects more than 2.5 million Americans.
Epilepsy is not a disease, a form of mental illness, or a sign of low intelligence. It is not contagious.
Epilepsy can affect anyone, at any age, at any time. Often seizures first develop during the pre-school and elementary school years.
Usually, a seizure lasts between a few seconds and a few minutes.
Never place an object in the mouth of a person having a seizure.
Many people with epilepsy can achieve control of the seizures.
About half the time, the cause of epilepsy is unknown. Head trauma, infections or a neurological disorder can be involved. Sometimes, heredity also plays a role.
Epilepsy usually can be treated effectively, most often with medications and sometimes with special diets or surgery.
People having seizures cannot swallow their tongues.