Seizures and epilepsy in childhood : a guide for parents
(Book)

pt.1. How the brain works; understanding seizures and why there are so many types. -- pt.2. How we diagnose a seizure and decide what it will mean for your child: Provoked and unprovoked seizures. -- Episodes often mistaken for seizures (fainting, daydreaming, tics, myoclonic jerks, breathholding spells, migraine headaches) -- pt.3. How we evaluate and think about a first seizure: Febrile seizures. -- What should you do during a seizure? -- Evaluation of the child with a first seizure without fever. -- pt.4. Decision-making; assessing risks and benefits after a seizure. -- pt.5. What to do if your child has a second big seizure. -- pt.6. The kinds of seizure and where they arise in the brain: Special terms used to describe the phases of a seizure. -- The old system (grand mal and petit mal) -- The new system (partial and generalized) -- Generalized seizures (absence, myoclonic, atonic, tonic-clonic) -- Partial (focal) seizures and the anatomy of the brain. -- Simple partial seizures. -- Complex partial seizures. -- pt.7. Understanding your child's tests; EEG, CT, and MRI. --

pt.8. The epilepsies of childhood; special patterns and causes: Epilepsy syndromes (benign Rolandic epilepsy, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy of Janz, infantile spasms, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, neonatal seizures) -- Special conditions that cause epilepsy. -- Developmental abnormalities of the brain (tuberous sclerosis, neurofibromatosis, Sturge-Weber syndrome, chronic infections, herpes virus, HIV infections (AIDS), Rasmussen's syndrome, degenerative diseases) -- pt.9. Medical treatment of seizures: How anticonvulsant drugs work in epilepsy. -- Blood levels of anticonvulsants and the therapeutic range. -- Drugs for partial seizures and tonic-clonic seizures (Dilantin, Tegretol, Depakene, Depakote) -- Drugs for absence and other generalized seizures (Zarontin, Depakene, Depakote) -- pt.10. Status epilepticus; a medical emergency. -- pt.11. How long do seizures need to be treated? -- pt.12. Other approaches to therapy; vitamins, minerals, and special diets: Calcium and magnesium. -- The ketogenic diet, its risks and benefits. -- pt.13. Surgical approaches to epilepsy. --

pt.14. Coping with seizures and epilepsy.

pt.15. Coping with the uncertainties of seizures and epilepsy, the power of positive thinking.

pt.16. Coping with substantial handicap; mental retardation, cerebral palsy, intractable seizures.

pt.17. Epilepsy as a psycho-social disease.

pt.18. Counseling, a dialogue.

pt.19. School, learning and behavior.

pt.20. Common sense, sports and epilepsy.

pt.21. Driving and epilepsy.

pt.22. Marriage, pregnancy, and children: Risks of pregnancy and of anticonvulsant drugs.

Breastfeeding and birth control.

pt.23. Support services, the Epilepsy Foundation of America and its affiliates.

Conclusion.

Glossary.