First Aid for Seizures and Epilepsy

First Aid for Seizures and Epilepsy

Seeing someone having a seizure can be a very worrying experience. Knowing what to do can help you to feel more prepared and less likely to panic.

What is a seizure?

Electrical activity is happening in our brains all of the time, as the brain and cells send messages to each other. 

A seizure occurs when a sudden burst of intense electrical activity in the brain temporarily disrupts the way in which the brain normally works.

What causes a seizure?

Seizures can be caused by many things, including a head injury, a lack of oxygen to the brain, a stroke, genetic issues, or a sudden increase in body temperature.

What is the difference between a seizure and epilepsy?

A person is diagnosed with epilepsy when they are thought to be at risk of having multiple seizures over a course of time.

Who is at risk of a seizure or epilepsy?

A seizure and the development of epilepsy can happen to anyone at any age.

Around 1 in every 100 people in the UK have been diagnosed with epilepsy and around half of those don't have any known cause for it.

What are the signs and symptoms of a seizure?

There are several types of seizure and what happens depends on which part of the brain is affected and how far the seizure activity spreads. 

Here, we focus on the two main types of seizure, which we cover on our First Aid at Work and Paediatric First Aid courses.

Absence seizure

This is sometimes referred to as a Petit Mal or Minor seizure.

The casualty may become unaware of their surroundings for a few seconds, or experience unusual feelings, sensations or movements.

Major seizure

This is sometimes referred to as a Grand Mal.

The casualty may lose responsiveness, become stiff, jerk, or lose control of their bladder or bowel.

First aid for an absence seizure

• Help the casualty to sit in a quiet place.
• Reassure the casualty and try to keep them calm.
• Allow the casualty to recover in their own time.
• Continue to monitor the casualty’s breathing until they recover.

First aid for a Major Seizure

• Ensure the casualty is positioned somewhere that is free of danger.
• Cushion and protect the head but do not hold in position.
• Do not restrain the casualty or place anything in their mouth.
• Record the length of the seizure.
• Stay with the casualty as they recover and reassure them.
• Once any jerky movements have subsided, place the casualty in the recovery position and continue to monitor their breathing.

Call the emergency services if;

1. It is the casualty’s first seizure.
2. The seizure lasts more than 5 minutes.
3. The casualty suffers repeated seizures without regaining consciousness.
4. The casualty is injured during the seizure.
5. The casualty is unresponsive for longer than ten minutes.
6. The casualty’s breathing becomes regular or stops.

Book First Aid Training in County Durham

At Help First Aid Training, we provide high-quality, practical courses designed to give you first aid skills and confidence when you need it.

We offer:

• Open courses at our training centre in Shildon, County Durham.
• On-site training for businesses, schools, nurseries, and organisations across the North-East – please contact us for a quote.
• Our experienced trainers make sessions engaging, informative and enjoyable.

We cover Durham to Darlington, Newton Aycliffe to North Shields, Trimdon to Tow Law, Gateshead to Grangetown, everywhere across the North-East and in between.

Get in touch

• Website: www.helpfirstaidtraining.co.uk
•  Email: info@helpfirstaidtraining.co.uk
• Call us: 01388 417303