Why epilepsy is so complicated to diagnose

Author and neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan. Photo credit: Jonathan Greet

A woman suddenly gets up and starts running. A man sees seven cartoon dwarves run across the room. They are all manifestations of an epileptic seizure. We think of seizures as people falling to the ground, unconscious, convulsing, and frothing at the mouth. But epilepsy can present in many different ways, which can make it tricky to diagnose. Suzanne O’Sullivan is a neurologist who has spent years diagnosing and treating patients with epilepsy.