How to Identify Partial Seizures

Partial seizures are experienced commonly by people who have epilepsy or other seizure disorders. Partial seizures result from increased electrical activity in only one part of the brain, while generalized seizures involve the entire brain.

There are two types of partial seizures: simple and complex. During a simple partial seizure, the patient remains conscious. A complex partial seizure leaves the person who experiences it in an unconscious, trance-like state. Both types can lead to loss of control over movements, emotions and senses.

Instructions

Identifying a Partial Seizure

• 1

  Keep the sufferer safe by moving items out of the way, if possible, so that he does not fall or trip on them. As a person suffers a seizure, he may lose consciousness, become unaware of his surroundings, lose control of bodily functions, become overly emotional (aggressive, angry, sad, confused or even joyful), and have involuntary muscle spasms that cause his limbs to flail and his face or eyes to move in an unfamiliar way.

• 2

  Note the symptoms experienced during the seizure. If the person remains conscious (although he will most likely be in a state of confusion) during the seizure, he is most likely suffering from a simple partial seizure. If he loses consciousness (his eyes may remain open, however, giving the illusion that he is conscious although he may be muttering incoherently) he is most likely suffering from a complex partial seizure.

  Also note what activity the victim was partaking in at the time the seizure first occurred.

• 3

  Make sure the victim is responsive and is not in need of emergency care when the seizure ends. Lacerations, broken bones and bumps to the head resulting from loss of consciousness or flailing limbs may require medical attention.

• 4

  Call an ambulance or take the victim to the nearest emergency room if this is his first epileptic episode. If the victim has a known history of epilepsy or other conditions that have caused him to have seizures in the past, call his doctor immediately after the seizure ends. Tell the doctor what you witnessed and whether or not the victim lost consciousness. By running a series of tests, the doctor can determine the type of seizure the victim had and possibly the cause of the seizure.