3. Myoclonic - Sporadic and sometimes isolated jerking movements in the body
4. Clonic - Jerking, repetitive movements
5. Tonic - Rigid and stiff muscles
6. Atonic - Loss of toning in the muscles
Grand mal seizures are the most common and the most well-known of the generalized seizures. This is a dramatic condition that causes the sufferer to lose consciousness and often collapse. Once consciousness is lost, the patient’s body will stiffen (referred to as the tonic phase) for up to 60 seconds. What follows is violent jerking (the clonic phase of the seizure).
That is followed by a deep sleep, known as the postictal or after-seizure. The seizure may also cause tongue biting and involuntary urination by the patient. This occurs because the person loses control of his or her body functions. Anyone who suffers this terrifying seizure will need to immediately be treated by medical professionals.
The Absence seizures have few to no symptoms and are just a brief loss of consciousness, typically a slight pause as the victim of the seizure stares blankly. Typically occurring in children, these seizures can happen several times a day and without the patient realizing he or she is even having a seizure, except for a vague sense of time lost.