Nursing and community aspects of epilepsy in intellectual disabilities

Abstract

Epilepsy is defined as a condition characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures unprovoked by any immediately identified cause.1 There is an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neurons, resulting in excessive excitation or excessive inhibition in specific areas of the cerebral cortex or over the entire cerebral cortex.2 A person with an intellectual disability (ID) has significant intellectual impairments and deficits in social functioning or adaptive behaviors; onset occurs during the developmental period.3 The Department of Health4 acknowledges that people with ID have a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and a reduced ability to cope independently, which starts before adulthood and has a lasting effect on development. There is no single official statistic that indicates how many people with ID live in the United Kingdom (UK). Government statistics are based on those receiving services and may not include those people who live with their parents or receive no services. © 2008 Springer-Verlag London.