Are there different types of seizures?
Many varieties of epileptic seizures occur, and frequency and form of attacks vary greatly from person to person. With modern methods of treatment, however, most cases can be fully controlled. Because there are so many nuances in Epilepsy and so many different kinds of seizures, a specific classification system is being promoted by the International League Against Epilepsy. The International Classification of Epilepsy Seizures has been adopted by the medical community and is gradually replacing outdated seizure terminology including “grand mal” and “petit mal”. The new classification scheme describes two major types of seizures: “partial” and “generalized”. It also divides each of these categories into subcategories including simple partial, complex-partial, absence, tonic-clonic, and other types.