National Epilepsy Week

What you might see: Their body suddenly goes stiff, and they can’t move. If they are standing, they will fall over.

Good to know: Tonic means an ‘increase in tone or tightness’ of the muscles. The muscles in their chest, arms, and legs tighten and become rigid. Their back arches but there’s no jerking.

Important links: Generalised onset seizures | How to help someone having a tonic seizure

What you might see: Their body may go stiff, and they will fall to the floor unconscious. For some people, their body shakes and jerks, for others, their body can go floppy or remain rigid.

Description: The tonic phase is when the person’s body goes stiff and they fall to the ground and unconscious. The clonic phase is when the person’s limbs begin to jerk rhythmically.

Important links: Generalised onset seizures | How to help someone having a tonic-clonic seizure

What you might see: Their muscles will suddenly go weak. It happens fast and lasts for a few seconds. It is as if they are a puppet and someone has cut their strings.

Description: Atonic is the opposite of tonic. In atonic seizures, all muscle tone is lost, causing the person to suddenly flop forward and fall to the ground.

Important links: Generalised onset seizures | How to help someone having an atonic seizure

What you may see: Some people suddenly stop what they are doing and stare into space. Other people can carry on walking and talking for a few seconds, and they might not even realise they're having a seizure.

Description: During an absence seizure, a young person can experience a range of symptoms, including loss of awareness, staring blankly, repetitive facial movements, for example: chewing or eye blinking.

Important links: Generalised onset seizures | How to help someone having an absence seizure

What you might see: Some people are aware during a focal onset seizure, but their responses may be slow. Other people are unaware of what is happening and won’t remember afterward. They may start to move their lips, because of a strange taste in their mouth. Sometimes they will start to fidget and chew for no reason. They may scream or even laugh. They may even kick or thrash around.

Good to know: Focal onset seizures start in one part of the brain. What happens during a focal onset seizure will depend on where in the brain it happens, and which functions that part of the brain controls. It could have motor symptoms (affects movement) and/or sensory symptoms (sensation affected).

Important links: Focal onset seizures | How to help someone having a focal seizure

What you might see: The muscles in their arms, legs, and body will suddenly jerk or twitch. The jerking can be quick and forceful, making people drop things or move in an unusual way.

Description: Myo’ means ‘muscle’ and ‘clonic’ means ‘jerk’. Myoclonic seizures usually affect both sides of the body at the same time. The muscles tighten rapidly, as if they have had a very brief shock-like contraction. They can lose consciousness but for such a short period of time, it’s hardly noticeable.

Important links: Generalised onset seizures | How to help someone having a myoclonic seizure