Epilepsy is a general term that includes various types of seizures. A seizure happens when abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes an involuntary change in body movement or function, awareness, sensation or behavior. About 2.3 million people in the United States or one percent of the population has some form of epilepsy with more than 180,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

People diagnosed with epilepsy have had more than one seizure and they may have had more than one kind of seizure. Some individuals recover immediately from a seizure while others may be dazed and sleepy for a period of time following a seizure. For most people with epilepsy, no single cause has been determined. Seizures may result from illness, head trauma, stroke, brain tumor, infection, poisoning, brain disorders or problems during fetal development. There are two types of seizures that occur in persons who suffer from epilepsy.

General seizures happen when large bursts of electrical energy go through all of the brain suddenly. Typically a person having a generalized seizure has symptoms which can result is a sudden loss of consciousness; the person may fall down, and undergo a stiffening of the muscles called tonic contractions. On the other hand, partial seizures occur when the electrical disturbance in the brain affects only one portion of the brain. The partial seizure then affects just the part of the body controlled by that particular part of the brain that is having the disturbance.

Basically, epilepsy is a disability when it substantially limits one or more of a person's major life activities. Major life activities are basic activities that an average person can perform with little or no difficulty, such as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, performing manual tasks, caring for oneself, learning, and working. Major life activities also include thinking, concentrating, interacting with others, reproduction, and sleeping.

Seizures certainly seem disabling to the seizure patient but the Social Security Administration denies many disability claims for seizures. The frequency of the seizures and failure to follow prescribed treatment are the main reasons the Social Security Administration denies disability claims for seizures. The Social Security Administration evaluates all convulsive disease according to the degree of impairment suffered by the person according to the type, frequency, duration and after effects of the seizure on the person. The SSA requires that there be at least one medical description of a typical seizure experienced by the person.