Almost one in five people would not employ someone with epilepsy if given the choice and many people have no idea what to do if they witness someone having a seizure, new research from Epilepsy Ireland (EI) has shown.

Around 37,000 Irish people have epilepsy, a condition characterised by recurring seizures. These are caused by abnormal electrical impulses in the brain.

According to EI deputy chief executive, Peter Murphy, epilepsy is the most common serious neurological condition in Ireland. However, even though there have been major advances in treatment, ‘public awareness and understanding of the condition remains poor'.

"Negative attitudes towards epilepsy are a major challenge for many people living with this condition. In fact, myths, misconceptions, fear and discrimination still surround epilepsy, often causing more distress than the condition itself and having a huge impact on people's quality of life," he explained.

Mr Murphy emphasised that people with epilepsy ‘can work successfully, have a family, drive and play sports'.

The EI research was released to coincide with European Epilepsy Day (February 11). Over 1,000 people aged 18 and older were surveyed last month and the results showed that almost half of people know someone with epilepsy, however many of these believe there is still a stigma attached to the condition.

It also revealed that at least one in three people have seen someone having a seizure, but less than half of these knew what to do in such a situation.

Furthermore, many people would actually do the wrong thing. For example, almost one in five people surveyed said they would try to restrain someone having a seizure, believing that this would help the seizure to stop.

However, you should in fact make the person comfortable lying down, putting something soft under their head and putting them in the recovery position when the seizure ends. A person should only be moved if they are in a dangerous place, such as on a road.

Furthermore, over half of people would put something in the person's mouth to stop them swallowing their tongue. However, nothing should be put in the mouth.

Meanwhile, almost six in 10 people believe an ambulance should always be called for a seizure. But an ambulance only needs to be called if this is a person's first seizure, if the seizure lasts more than five minutes, if seizures continue and the person is not regaining awareness between them or if the person is injured while having a seizure.

The research also noted that one in 10 people would leave the person having a seizure on their own or would be unsure whether to stay. However, you should always stay with a person if they are having a seizure.

"You cannot stop someone having a seizure, but we all have a duty to know what to do when you witness someone you know, or not, having a seizure. These research findings show a lack of understanding on how to assist someone and in some cases, this lack of understanding could put the person having the seizure in danger," explained community epilepsy nurse specialist, Sinead Murphy.

She added that the public's understanding of how to assist someone having a seizure must increase. All the information you need can be found on the ‘Seizure Aware' section of the EI site here

See also our Epilepsy Clinic here