By Emily Bevan (Y8) on 05/11/2026
Hi! Yes, I have epilepsy. I’m writing this article to tell everyone about how I deal with it, how it is managed, how to spot it, and how to help someone having a seizure! I want to raise awareness because not many people have epilepsy, only around 50 million, and I hope this article helps you learn more about it!
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a brain condition that causes seizures. Some people lose consciousness during a seizure and others don’t. When I have a seizure, I do. Other people might twitch their arms and legs, also known as convulsions. If you have at least two seizures more than 24 hours apart, you might have epilepsy. Seizures can be caused by many different things. For example, I might have a seizure if I see strobe lights or have too much stress.
Living with epilepsy
For me, having epilepsy is not a huge deal. It’s scary, of course, for me and my family. I have to take pills in the morning and in the evening, and the first two times I had a seizure I spent the night at the hospital, because for now, every time I had a seizure it’s been at night. I also have to do an EEG every once in a while, and in my opinion, they suck.
What is an EEG?
An EEG (which stands for electroencephalogram) is when doctors who specialise in epilepsy put sticky things on your head connected to wires connected to a computer, and then they stick flashing lights in front of your face and see how you react and record results, and tell you to close or open your eyes. (That’s not a very accurate explanation.) The second EEG I had, I had to fall asleep. They’re bad because you can never get the sticky stuff out of your hair after.
Absence seizures
Absence seizures are when the person becomes unconscious and suddenly stops what they’re doing and stares into space. It only lasts a few seconds, and the person doesn’t fall over or anything drastic. It’s happening to me a few times, once in the lunch line and that was a little weird. If it happens in class and the teacher asked you a question, you have to tell him/her that you couldn’t help it.
How to help someone having a seizure
If someone suddenly has a seizure near you, don’t panic! Get them to lie on their side, so that their airway is clear, and don’t jostle them. If it lasts longer than 30 seconds, call an ambulance. If they conked their head while falling, call an ambulance immediately. When they wake up, they’ll probably be confused and worried, and they might have trouble speaking, or they can’t speak at all for a little bit. Don’t tell them everything at once. Tell them not to worry and let the paramedics and the doctors take care of the rest.
I’m okay with being open about my epilepsy, and if anyone else has it, don’t be afraid to hide it! No one’s going to make fun of you, and if someone does, well, they’ve got problems, buddy. If someone does make fun of you or bully you, tell someone you trust, and just ignore them, because you can’t help having epilepsy and it’s nothing to be ashamed about!
There are a few books in the library about epilepsy. Unfortunately, there’s only one fictional one. It’s called Talking to Alaska by Anna Woltz and it’s very good!
And here are some helpful sources if you want to learn more about epilepsy: