Disturbances in the electrical activity of the brain caused by neurological disorder. In the severe form, or GRAND MAL, the patient may suffer violent convulsions and prolonged loss of CONSCIOUSNESS. In the mild form, or PETIT MAL, the seizure may produce only a momentary dizziness or loss of consciousness. Anticonvulsant drugs can often control the grand mal seizures but the causes of epilepsy, a disease known for thousands of years as the ‘failing sickness’, are still not fully understood.
