What are the symptoms of a seizure?If someone you know has epilepsy, it's important to know when a seizure is happening so you can respond appropriately. Not all seizures look the same, and not all seizures are equal in severity. It's important for epileptics to keep track of the number of seizures they have, the type of seizures and their severity so they can adjust medications and make lifestyle changes to reduce seizures.
Symptoms of Petit Mal Seizures
The most obvious characteristic of petit mal seizures is an absence of presence for a brief time. During a petit mal seizure, a previously alert person will suddenly become absent, staring into space and oblivious to what is happening around her. When the seizure ends, which is usually in less than 15 seconds, she will return to normal, unaware of what happened during the seizure. While it can be tempting to simply ignore a petit mal seizure, epileptics need to make note of the number of seizures they experience in a day, even little ones like these.
Symptoms of Myoclonic Seizures
Myoclonic seizures look like muscle twitches, usually in the face, neck, shoulders and upper arms. These jerking motions can happen in isolated incidents or as chronic, repetitive episodes. The seizures may or may not interrupt speech or behavior, depending on the severity of the episode.
Symptoms of Grand Mal Seizures
You can't ignore a grand mal seizure. Most epileptics will experience a kind of aura or odd feeling just before having a grand mal seizure, but they may not be capable of preparing themselves properly for the event.
As a witness, you may see the epileptic pause or hesitate for a second as the person becomes aware a seizure is coming on. Right after this hesitation, the person will slump over or fall to the ground and thrash around with wild, jerking motions. The person will lose consciousness for between 5 and 20 minutes as he jerks and thrashes. You will need to protect the person who's seizing from hitting his head, hurting himself or choking on his tongue. When the person comes out of the seizure, he will usually be exhausted and will need to sleep.
Symptoms of Status Epilepticus
When a grand mal seizure lasts for more than 20 minutes, the person is considered to be in a status epilepticus state. This is a life-threatening medical condition. Any person in this state needs immediate emergency medical treatment.
Symptoms of Partial Seizures
Partial seizures may cause the person to smell unusual smells or taste things that are not really there. Sometimes partial seizures cause unusual behavior that may just seem crazy. They may cause temporary paralysis, uncontrollable laughter, hallucinations or unexplained behavior, such as walking in a circle repetitively or smacking lips repetitively. As a witness, you may not even realize the person is having a seizure. If you do notice this kind of seizure, you will need to monitor the epileptic's episode and then discuss the incident after the seizure is over.
 | What does a seizure feel like? Depending on the type of seizure, you may not even realize that it's occurred. |
 | Stress causing seizures indicates that some big lifestyle changes are needed. These seizures are generally unrelated to epilepsy, so treatment focuses on managing stress. |
The exact causes of seizures remain a mystery, but there are several things that are known to trigger seizures. |
Learn about different types of seizures, their symptoms and their potential causes. |
Myoclonic seizures are often overlooked because they are not terribly disruptive, but they can be indicators of neurological problems. |
