Miscellaneous and More Information

Q: Do animals get Epilepsy?

Epilepsy can occur in animals. Like humans, Epilepsy in animals is really just abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

Q: Can dogs sense a seizure in humans before it strikes?

It is possible that some dogs are able to detect pre-seizure changes in the physiology of some people with Epilepsy before the person becomes aware of them. In many cases, the person with Epilepsy is aware of an aura before the onset of the main part of the seizure.

Not enough is known about how dogs can detect seizures before their onset to know exactly what sense(s) are involved in this detection. However, one might hypothesize that since dogs can detect chemical changes due to fear, seizures that are preceded by a sense of fear might also produce detectable changes.

Q: Where can I get more information about Epilepsy?

There are a number of information sources about Epilepsy. Here is a partial list, and I welcome suggestions for other things to be added here. In many areas there are local associations that may be valuable to you.

Q: What books are available on Epilepsy?

Here is a selection of some of the titles available:

EPILEPSY AND THE FAMILY by Richard Lechtenberg. Harvard Univ. Press, 79 Garden Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138-1311

LIVING WELL WITH EPILEPSY by Robert J. Gumnit, Demos Publications, 1990, 156 Fiftth Ave, NY, NY 10010

EPILEPSY AND YOU, by Frank O. Volle and Patricia A. Heron

DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE EPILEPSY? by J.E. Jan, R.G. Ziegler, G. Erba, Austin PRO-ED Press, 5341 Industrial Oacks Blvd, Austin, TX 78735

CHILDREN WITH EPILEPSY: A PARENTS GUIDE, by Helen Reisner, Woodbine House, 5615 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852

ONE MIRACLE AT A TIME, HOW TO GET HELP FOR YOUR DISABLED CHILD - FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHER PARENTS, by Irving Dickman, PACER Center, Inc 4826 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55417

THE EPISODE, by Richard Pollak * This one is listed as fiction

HAVING EPILEPSY, THE EXPERIENCE AND CONTROL OF ILLNESS by Joseph Schneider and Peter Conrad, Temple Univ Press, Broad and Oxford Streets, Philadelphia, PA

PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN EPILEPSY, SOCIAL DIMENSIONS by Steven Whitman and Bruce Hermann, Oxford University Press, 16-00 Pollitt Drive, Fair Lawn, NJ 07419-2799

SEIZURES AND EPILEPSY IN CHILDHOOD: A GUIDE FOR PARENTS by John Freeman, EileenVining and Diana Pillas, The John Hopkins University Press, 701 West 40th St, Balitimore, MD 21211

A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING AND LIVING WITH EPILEPSY, Orrin Devinsky, F.A. Davis Company, 1915 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

BRAINSTORMS: EPILEPSY IN OUR WORDS, by Steven Schachter, Raven Press 1185 Avenue of the Americans, NY, NY 10036

THE BRAINSTORMS COMPANION: EPILEPSY IN OUR VIEW, by Steven Schachter, Raven Press, 1185 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10036

THE EPILEPSY DIET TREATMENT: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE KETOGENIC DIET (Demos Press, 1994) by John Freeman, Millicent Kelly, and Jennifer Freeman

CHALLENGE OF EPILEPSY by Sally Fletcher (Aura Publishing Company/20 Sunnyside Ave., #A150/Mill Valley, CA 94941)

Q: Where can I find information on the Internet about Epilepsy?