Bacterial meningitis is infection of the nervous system confined to the meninges and subarachnoid space. Cranial suppurative disorders include intracranial abscesses and subdural empyemas and, less commonly, epidural (extradural) empyemas. Pyogenic bacterial abscesses can be single or multiple. Acute symptomatic seizures due to neurological insults increase the risk for unprovoked seizures/epilepsy, this risk being less than the risk of a second seizure following an unprovoked seizure. Initial immediate investigations include lumbar puncture in the absence of evidence of raised intracranial pressure, blood cultures, and routine blood tests including inflammatory markers, before prompt empirical therapy. The burden of epilepsy due to bacterial meningitis can be reduced by early diagnosis and effective therapy of the meningitis, and reduction in rates of bacterial meningitis and thereby associated epilepsy though vaccinations, disease surveillance, and treatment of close contacts.

A seizure may be an acute symptomatic or unprovoked event. Acute symptomatic seizures have a cause such as brain trauma, infection, or drug withdrawal. The disorders in people with epilepsy (PWE) are: psychiatric disorders, depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders, and cognitive disorders. Psychiatric disorders in PWE are best managed by avoiding the ictus altogether. Although antiepileptic drug (AED) decision-making should be guided by a neurologist, it is important to understand basic treatment strategies along with the potential for rash and fetal malformations. Experts agree that monotherapy is the treatment of first choice for partial and generalized epilepsies. If the first AED fails, neurologists prescribe monotherapy with a second AED. Valproic acid use increases the risk of major malformations and should be avoided during the first trimester. The indications for psychotropic use in someone with epilepsy are the same as in the general population.