Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Because there is no obvious sign a person has epilepsy, unless they are having a seizure, it can make diagnosing epilepsy difficult. A diagnosis is usually made after a person has had more than one epileptic seizure. When a person has had a seizure they may not remember what happened, so it can be helpful to have information from someone who saw the seizure happening.

A number of investigations, including blood tests, an Electroencephalogram (EEG) and scans may provide additional information. However, these tests cannot confirm or rule out epilepsy on their own.

How epilepsy is diagnosed 

Diagnosing epilepsy is not simple, but a key part of diagnosis is the description of what happened before, during and after a seizure.

Reactions to a diagnosis

A diagnosis of epilepsy can affect people in different ways.

The tests

There is no simple test that can diagnose epilepsy. However, tests that can give useful information for diagnosis include electroencephalogram (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).