Today’s guest article is contributed by Meredith Walker, who writes about the masters in public health. She welcomes your feedback at “MeredithWalker1983 at gmail.com” Enjoy the article and please make her feel welcome!

Complex partial seizures are epileptic seizures that affect one particular region of the brain. These seizures do not usually cause a tonic seizure more commonly associated with epilepsy, but instead affect thoughts and behavior.

Sufferers may go undiagnosed or misunderstood as this type of seizure is often not recognized as a physical disability and thought, instead, to be a mental disorder. Even when diagnosed, those with complex partial seizures may feel isolated as this invisible disability may not be recognized. The good news is that these types of seizures are often well-controlled by medication.

Here are seven facts to help you better understand complex partial seizures.

1. No control, no memory. During a complex partial seizure, a person cannot interact normally with others because she is not in control of her body. After the seizure, the person probably will not remember what happened during the seizure.
2. Not all seizures look the same. A person having a complex partial seizure may look like they are continuing with their activities or pursuing rather normal activities. Other people having this type of seizure may act strangely, crying, screaming, repeating the same words, or taking off their clothes.
3. What it looks like. When observing someone going into a seizure, it may appear that she is staring into space, but may then begin to engage in activities.
4. Early warning. Some people with complex partial seizures get early warning signals such as a visual aura, an odd sensation of fear or déjà vu, or a sensation of tingling or numbness. For others, however, the seizures can onset very rapidly with no warning.
5. Duration. These seizures can last from 30 seconds to several minutes. Many people are disoriented or sleepy and may not feel normal again for many hours.
6. Causes. Complex partial seizures may be caused by any number of factors. Commonly, brain injury, illness that affects the brain, or stroke can cause these seizures. There is also some evidence that children who experience prolonged or frequent febrile seizures are at greater risk for complex partial seizures.
7. Helping someone having a complex partial seizure. Stay with that person until the seizure has passed. Try to guide the person to sit quietly. Do not use force unless he is acting dangerously to himself or others or may be putting himself at risk.  Remove any objects from the area that may be dangerous.

The diagnosis of complex partial seizures brings a wide set of complications to a Social Security disability case. I have seen cases where benefits were denied because EEG results were normal. This exemplifies the confusion between partial complex seizures and epileptic seizures

I have tried to bridge this gap in understanding by working with my clients’ doctors in providing Social Security with an explanation of this devastating condition.

I recently found a wonderful article with shines a clear light on the debilitating effects of complex partial seizures:

During a complex partial seizure, the patient may not communicate, respond to commands, or remember events that occurred. Consciousness might not be impaired completely. During a complex partial seizure, some patients may make simple verbal responses, follow simple commands, or continue to perform simple or, less commonly, complex motor behaviors such as operating a car. Complex partial seizures typically arise from the temporal lobe but may arise from any cortical region.

Automatisms are quasi-purposeful motor or verbal behaviors that commonly accompany complex partial seizures. The behavior is called quasi-purposeful because it is repeated inappropriately or is inappropriate for the situation. Verbal automatisms range from simple vocalizations, such as moaning, to more complex, comprehensible, stereotyped speech.

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Seizures often begin with a brief aura (simple partial seizure) lasting seconds and then becomes a complex partial seizure. The type of aura is related to the site of cortical onset. Temporal-lobe seizures often begin with a rising abdominal sensation, fear, unreality, or déjà vu. Parietal-lobe seizures may begin with an electrical sensation, tingling, or numbness. Occipital-lobe seizures may begin with visual changes, such as the perception of colored lines, spots, or shapes or even a loss of vision.

Read the entire article here.