Epilepsy Among Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans
Veterans with epilepsy who were deployed in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are more likely to have mental and physical comorbidity and to die than those without epilepsy. The CDC report at this link details the prevalence of epilepsy among war veterans.
Epilepsy Centers of Excellence
The mission of the Epilepsy Centers for Excellence is to to improve the health and well-being of Veteran patients with epilepsy and other seizure disorders through the integration of clinical care, research and education.
Video provided by Veterans Health Administration: This program explains how epilepsy is diagnosed. In most cases, a person who has repeated seizures will visit a doctor called a neurologist. The neurologist will conduct a thorough history and a neurological exam and may order tests to help him or her make a diagnosis.
Video provided by Veterans Health Administration: This program describes the various medications that can be used to treat epilepsy. It includes an explanation of how the drugs work, how effective they are, and how clinicians decide which medications to use for a particular patient. It also discusses side effects, the importance of taking anti-epileptic medications as prescribed, and strategies to help patients take their medicines.
Video provided by Veterans Health Administration: This program describes the various psychosocial issues that can accompany epilepsy. Feelings of isolation and depression and are not uncommon. This program delves into mental health concerns as well as available treatments.
Video provided by Veterans Health Administration: This video program explains how to keep a person safe during a seizure and how to provide first aid afterwards.
Video provided by Veterans Health Administration: This video covers Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures or PNES. PNES resembles epilepsy — the seizures can look very much like epileptic seizures – but it is caused by psychological issues, rather than abnormal electrical impulses in the brain.
Video provided by Veterans Health Administration: To educate Veterans about how epilepsy and anti-epileptic drugs affect reproductive issues such as fertility, birth control, pregnancy, fetal development, and menopause.
Video provided by Veterans Health Administration: Medications are very effective in controlling seizures for most people with epilepsy. If medications don’t work, it may be possible to control a person’s seizures by removing a small part of the brain from which his or her seizures originate.
Video provided by Veterans Health Administration: This video covers Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures or PNES. PNES resembles epilepsy — the seizures can look very much like epileptic seizures – but it is caused by psychological issues, rather than abnormal electrical impulses in the brain.