New research has shown that there is still a lack of undertstanding about epilepsy in Ireland.

Epilepsy Ireland surveyed over a thousand people and found that serious misconceptions around the condition remain.

The findings also show that one in five Irish people would not employ someone with epilepsy. Nearly 20% of people if given the choice would not employ someone with epilepsy. 45% of people said they knew someone with epilepsy and 50% of them admitted there is still a stigma amongst the public attached to the condition.

The survey details were published on the Epilepsy Ireland website and found with regard to peoples' behavior when they witness someone falling to the ground and having a seizure, the consumer survey of 1000+ people aged 18 years and over further showed that;

• 38% of people surveyed have witnessed someone having a seizure but only 43% of them said they know what to do when someone is having a seizure
• 18% of people said they would try and restrain a person's movement when having a seizure believing it will help stop the seizure (when in fact you should do nothing but make the person comfortable lying down, put something soft under their head and put them in the recovery position when the seizure ends. You should only move the person if they are in a dangerous place like a road or beside a fire)
• Over half of respondents would place something in a person's mouth to prevent them from swallowing their tongue if they were having a seizure (when in fact the correct action is to not to put anything into the mouth)
• 59% of people thought that you should call for an ambulance for all seizures (when in fact the correct action is to only call an ambulance if you know it is the person's first seizure, if the seizure continues for more than five minutes, if one seizure follows another without the person regaining awareness between the seizures, if the person is injured during the seizure or if you believe the person needs urgent medical attention)
• 10% of respondents said they either would not stay with or would be unsure about staying with a person until the seizure was over (when in fact the correct action is always to stay with the person)

Spokesperson for the group is Paul Sharkey:

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