A 42-year-old man with known generalized tonic-clonic epilepsy on irregular antiepileptic therapy presents to the emergency department with continuous seizure activity lasting 12 minutes. On examination, he has persistent tonic-clonic movements. An EEG is performed showing the pattern marked **A** — continuous generalized epileptiform discharges without inter-ictal background activity. According to current operational definitions and ILAE guidelines, which of the following best describes the clinical stage and immediate management priority for this patient?