During a Grand Mal, or Tonic-Clonic seizure, a person falls to the ground and has violent spasms throught the body. They are also known to gnash teeth, salivate, urinate, and/or defecate. After the seizure he or she may want to rest or sleep for the rest of the day because of the violent spasms making them dreadfully tired. Before one of these seizures occurs, there is normally an "aura" that will help warn when the epileptic that they are about to have a seizure. These "aura's" can contain many different signs such as uncontrolled moving the head to the left and right, being demanding, pouring liquid in and out of containers, or drinking an unusual amount of water. During the "aura," the epileptic is usually conscious and can take appropriate action if given enough time. This action may be to find a hiding place or it may be to lie down or to get comfortable. There are times when this aura only lasts a few moments before the actual seizure happens. These seizures described by the epileptics are defined as something magical or mythical: being "helpless in the hands of something," "overwhelmed," "hit on the head," "our of control," and "floating off someplace." Grand Mal seizures is the most common type of seizure with 50% of epileptics having them (Schneider & Conrad, 1983).
There are other types of seizures that are known to us, such as Petit Mal Seiures, meaning little seizures. And they may include a stare with very little movements or no movement (Svoboda, 1979). These seizures are also described as "being away" or "distant." Petit Mal usually only lasts for a few minutes, they sometimes only occur for only a few seconds. They may include some of the following: a stare, preoccupied glance, timely blinking, small muscle spasms, lip smacking, chewing and picking at the clothes or at the body. This type of seizure is the second most common seizure with 25% of epileptics having them (Schneider & Conrad, 1983).
