Seizure Types

Generalized Seizures

• Involve the whole brain
• Common types include absence and tonic-clonic
• Symptoms may include convulsions, staring, muscle spasms and falls

Generalized Absence Seizures

• Pause in activity with blank stare
• Brief lapse of awareness
• Possible chewing or blinking motion
• Usually lasts 1 to 10 seconds
• May occur many times a day
• May be confused with:
• Daydreaming
• Lack of attention
• ADD

Generalized Tonic Clonic

• A sudden, hoarse cry
• Loss of consciousness
• A fall
• Convulsions (stiffening of arms and legs followed by rhythmic jerking)
• Shallow breathing and drooling may occur
• Possible loss of bowel or bladder control
• Occasionally skin, nails, lips may turn blue
• Generally lasts 1 to 3 minutes
• Usually followed by confusion, headache, tiredness, soreness, speech difficulty

Partial Seizures

• Involve only part of the brain
• Common types include simple partial and complex partial
• Symptoms relate to the part of the brain affected

Focal Aware

• Full awareness maintained
• Rhythmic movements (isolated twitching of arms, face, legs)
• Sensory symptoms (tingling, weakness, sounds, smells, tastes, feeling of upset stomach, visual distortions)
•  Psychic symptoms (déjà vu, hallucinations, feeling of fear or anxiety, or a feeling they can’t explain)
•  Usually lasts less than one minute
•  May be confused with:  acting out, mystical experience, psychosomatic illness

Focal Impaired Awareness

• Awareness impaired/inability to respond
• Often begins with blank dazed stare
• AUTOMATISMS (repetitive purposeless movements)
• Clumsy or disoriented movements, aimless walking, picking things up, nonsensical speech or lip smacking
• Often lasts one to three minutes
• Often followed by tiredness, headache or nausea
• May become combative if restrained
• May be confused with:
  • Drunkenness or drug abuse
  • Aggressive behavior