Signs and symptoms of Seizures

Epilepsy is characterized by a long-term risk of recurrent seizures.These seizures may present in several ways depending on the part of the brain involved and the person's age.
Seizures
The most common type (60%) of seizures are convulsive. Of these, one-third begin as generalized seizures from the start, affecting both hemispheres of the brain.[ Two-thirds begin aspartial seizures (which affect one hemisphere of the brain) which may then progress to generalized seizures.[18] The remaining 40% of seizures are non-convulsive. An example of this type is the absence seizure, which presents as a decreased level of consciousness and usually lasts about 10 seconds.
Partial seizures are often preceded by certain experiences, known as auras, They include sensory (visual, hearing, or smell), psychic, autonomic, and motor phenomena. Jerking activity may start in a specific muscle group and spread to surrounding muscle groups in which case it is known as a Jacksonian march.[22] Automatisms may occur, which are non-consciously-generated activities and mostly simple repetitive movements like smacking of the lips or more complex activities such as attempts to pick up something.
There are six main types of generalized seizures: tonic-clonic, tonic, clonic, myoclonic, absence, and atonic seizures.They all involve loss of consciousness and typically happen without warning.
Tonic-clonic seizures occur with a contraction of the limbs followed by their extension along with arching of the back which lasts 10–30 seconds (the tonic phase). A cry may be heard due to contraction of the chest muscles, followed by a shaking of the limbs in unison (clonic phase). Tonic seizures produce constant contractions of the muscles. A person often turns blue as breathing is stopped. In clonic seizures there is shaking of the limbs in unison. After the shaking has stopped it may take 10–30 minutes for the person to return to normal; this period is called the "postictal state" or "postictal phase." Loss of bowel or bladder control may occur during a seizure.The tongue may be bitten at either the tip or on the sides during a seizure. In tonic-clonic seizure, bites to the sides are more common. Tongue bites are also relatively common in psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.
Myoclonic seizures involve spasms of muscles in either a few areas or all over. Absence seizures can be subtle with only a slight turn of the head or eye blinking. The person does not fall over and returns to normal right after it ends.Atonic seizures involve the loss of muscle activity for greater than one second. This typically occurs on both sides of the body.
About 6% of those with epilepsy have seizures that are often triggered by specific events and are known as reflex seizures. Those with reflex epilepsy have seizures that are only triggered by specific stimuli. Common triggers include flashing lights and sudden noises. In certain types of epilepsy, seizures happen more often during sleep,[ and in other types they occur almost only when sleeping.
Postictal
After the active portion of a seizure, there is typically a period of confusion referred to as the postictal period before a normal level of consciousness returns. It usually lasts 3 to 15 minutes but may last for hours.Other common symptoms include feeling tired, headache, difficulty speaking, and abnormal behavior. Psychosis after a seizure is relatively common, occurring in 6–10% of people. Often people do not remember what happened during this time. Localized weakness, known as Todd's paralysis, may also occur after a partial seizure. When it occurs it typically lasts for seconds to minutes but may rarely last for a day or two.
Psychosocial

Epilepsy can have adverse effects on social and psychological well-being, These effects may include social isolation, stigmatization, or disability.They may result in lower educational achievement and worse employment outcomes.Learning difficulties are common in those with the condition, and especially among children with epilepsy. The stigma of epilepsy can also affect the families of those with the disorder.Certain disorders occur more often in people with epilepsy, depending partly on the epilepsy syndrome present. These include depression, anxiety disorders, and migraines. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects three to five times more children with epilepsy than children in the general population. ADHD and epilepsy have significant consequences on a child's behavioral, learning, and social development. Epilepsy is also more common in children withautism.