How is epilepsy diagnosed?

Epilepsy can be diagnosed by a variety of medical professionals in various medical settings, ranging from doctors in the emergency room to epileptologists in an epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU).
Diagnosing seizures and epilepsy is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. The “pieces” are information from you, your healthcare team, and your test results.
Knowing you’re having a seizure and diagnosing the type of seizure or epilepsy syndrome can be difficult. Even if it’s unclear whether you’ve had a seizure, you should see a doctor if you suspect, or people tell you, that there are times when you aren’t aware of what you're doing.
CURE Epilepsy’s monthly video series Epilepsy Explained provides basic information on epilepsy in easy-to-understand language. Each month a featured epilepsy expert answers questions about a specific area of epilepsy. This month’s episode features Dr. David E. Burdette, MD, Epilepsy Section Chief at Corewell West Health System, explaining how epilepsy is diagnosed.
In this episode, “Diagnosing Epilepsy Explained”, Dr. Burdette answers the following questions.
0:00 Intro
0:18 How can you tell if you or someone around you is having or has had a seizure?
2:24 Do you have to experience more than one seizure before you can be diagnosed with epilepsy?
4:32 What type of doctor should I see to diagnose epilepsy?
6:36 What medical tests are used to diagnose epilepsy?
8:50 What is the difference between a seizure type and an epilepsy syndrome?
Look for new episodes of Epilepsy Explained on the third Wednesday of every month on CURE Epilepsy’s CZcams Channel and on our website at: www.cureepilepsy.org/epilepsy...
To submit topic ideas or questions for future episodes of Epilepsy Explained, please go to: www.cureepilepsy.org/epilepsy...
ABOUT CURE EPILEPSY
CURE Epilepsy is the leading, non-governmental funder of epilepsy research. Since its inception in 1998, CURE Epilepsy has raised more than $90 million to fund epilepsy research and other initiatives that will lead the way to cures for the epilepsies. CURE Epilepsy funds grants for young and established investigators and to-date has awarded more than 285 cutting-edge projects in 18 countries around the world. Our mission is to find a cure for epilepsy, by promoting and funding patient-focused research.
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