I was talking to someone on Tuesday, having a fairly typical conversations. We were just about finished when he started repeating the words "yeah" and "okay" over and over. His arms and legs started flexing and unflexing. I asked if he was okay, but he didn't seem to hear me. After a minute or so, it looked like he was finished with whatever happened. He looked at me briefly, and then he started adjusting and smoothing out his sweatshirt, over and over. This when on a little while longer, and the repetitions of "yeah" and "okay" were replaced by labored breathing. Eventually, this too stopped. There were no more jerky movements, his breathing returned to normal, he was sweating a little, but other than that, everything was back to normal. I asked him if he wanted me to call a nurse over, or if I could get him a glass of water. He didn't say anything. His expression was blank, emotionless. He just looked at me for a second or two, and then he got up and put his hand to my throat and squeezed.
I got away before too long. He's about my same height and visibly stronger than me, but I'm pretty sure I was more motivated to not be strangled than he was motivated to strangle me. Also, he had just had a seizure, so he probably wasn't giving it his best effort.
Afterward, he was talking to someone else, who asked him, “Why did you attack Sam?”
I got away before too long. He's about my same height and visibly stronger than me, but I'm pretty sure I was more motivated to not be strangled than he was motivated to strangle me. Also, he had just had a seizure, so he probably wasn't giving it his best effort.
Afterward, he was talking to someone else, who asked him, “Why did you attack Sam?”
“Who’s that?”
"Tall guy, wears glasses?"
"I don't know who that is."
As far as I can tell, he had no reason to act violently. There was no obvious trigger, nothing that set him off. One minute, he was sitting in a chair, talking to me. The next minute, his body began moving beyond his control. Then, he attacked me.
Sitting.
Spasming.
Strangling.
All without any discernible trigger from one to the next.
My wife's response when I told her all of this was that it sounds like he was possessed by a demon. I'm pretty sure that's not what happened, but I can definitely see where she's coming from. I know what seizures are. I have a basic grasp of what happens to the brain during a seizure. I know that this person has had trouble with the law in the past. And yet, even knowing all of these things, I simply could not understand at the time why he was attacking me, why he went on to try to attack others.
What if I didn't know any of this; didn't know what seizures are? What if I saw him visibly contort and lose all emotion? What if he attacked me after all this, and then had no recollection of ever seeing or attacking me? This would've made even less sense. It sounds insane. It seemed insane at the time, and it still seems unbelievable, even though my throat is still sore. Demons are easier to understand than postictal violence.
My wife's response when I told her all of this was that it sounds like he was possessed by a demon. I'm pretty sure that's not what happened, but I can definitely see where she's coming from. I know what seizures are. I have a basic grasp of what happens to the brain during a seizure. I know that this person has had trouble with the law in the past. And yet, even knowing all of these things, I simply could not understand at the time why he was attacking me, why he went on to try to attack others.
What if I didn't know any of this; didn't know what seizures are? What if I saw him visibly contort and lose all emotion? What if he attacked me after all this, and then had no recollection of ever seeing or attacking me? This would've made even less sense. It sounds insane. It seemed insane at the time, and it still seems unbelievable, even though my throat is still sore. Demons are easier to understand than postictal violence.
