Complex Partial Seizures
What happens?
During a complex partial seizure, consciousness is impaired. The person cannot interact normally with other people; is not in control of his or her movements, speech, or actions; doesn't know what he or she is doing; and cannot remember afterward what happened during the seizure.
Although someone may appear to be conscious because he stays on his feet, his eyes are open and he can move about, it will be an altered consciousness-a dreamlike, almost trancelike state.
A person may even be able to speak, but the words are unlikely to make sense and they will not be able to respond to others in an appropriate way.
Although complex partial seizures can affect any area of the brain, they often take place in one of the brain's two temporal lobes. This is the reason the condition is sometimes called temporal lobe epilepsy. Psychomotor epilepsy is another term Neurologists may use to describe complex partial seizures.
What complex partial seizures look like
Typically, a complex partial seizure starts with a blank stare and loss of contact with surroundings. This is often followed by chewing movements with the mouth, picking at or fumbling with clothing, mumbling, and performing simple, unorganized movements over and over again.
"When I have a seizure, I have been told I stare at my left hand. I just start rolling my left hand over and staring at it. And I play with my buttons. That's kind of weird when you've got a T-shirt on and you're picking at your buttons, but that's one of the things I do."
Sometimes people wander around during complex partial seizures. For example, a person might leave a room, go downstairs, and out into the street, completely unaware of what he or she is doing.
In rare cases, someone might try to undress during the seizure, or become very agitated, screaming, running, or making flailing movements with his arms or bicycling movements with his legs.
Other complex partial seizures may cause a person to run in apparent fear, cry out, or repeat the same phrase over and over again.
"When I have a seizure I only know what my husband has told me. My eyes widen. Then I sniff. Then I hug myself and always start to pick at my clothes or try to straighten them out. And then as I'm slowly coming out of the seizure, sometimes I get up and begin to walk. I'll start talking to the people around me. I'll say things like, "Please, please." I'll say, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," over and over again and just try to walk forever. But this is something I never know. I've just been told by people around me."
People's actions and movements are typically unorganized, confused, and unfocused during a complex partial seizure.
However, if one suddenly begins while someone is in the middle of a repetitive action-like dealing cards or stirring a cup of coffee-he or she may stare for a moment and then continue with the action during the seizure, but in a mechanical, unorganized kind of way.
Source - Epilepsy Foundation of America, adapted with permission.
|
E-mail this page