The dramatic and incapacitating nature of seizures is reflected in the word itself, which derives from the Greek “to take hold” – like an invisible force suddenly grasping someone and controlling their body. This sense of an unknown force has driven many superstitions and misrepresentations of seizures throughout history.
Over the past century, the public’s understanding of seizures has been gleaned mostly from depictions in movies and television, which are often as disturbing as they are inaccurate. While these dramatic representations intensify visual storytelling, they frequently perpetuate stigma and understate the complexity of seizures.
