41 percent of Irish people still believe you should put something in a person’s mouth if you see them having a seizure.
You shouldn’t though, because contrary to popular belief, it won’t actually help.
Today, March 26, marks the International Day of Epilepsy Awareness or, as it is otherwise known, Purple Day.
Last month, Epilepsy Ireland conducted a nationwide survey asking Irish people what they would do if they witnessed somebody having a seizure.
41 percent of participants said that they would put something in the person’s mouth in a bid to stop them from swallowing their tongue.
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This isn’t, however, something you should do at all – and although this number has dropped from 47 percent since 2015, similar myths around seizures and epilepsy still exist in 2019.
“Thankfully, seizure awareness in Ireland has improved in recent years,” said Epilepsy Ireland CEO Peter Murphy, “but as this survey shows there are still myths and misunderstandings that persist such as interfering with someone’s mouth during a seizure.”
“This Purple Day, we want to encourage everyone to spend just a few minutes on epilepsy.ie to understand a little more about what to do in this situation.”
So, we’ve already established that you should never put something in a person’s mouth when they’re having a seizure, but what should you do?
Epilepsy.ie provides a concise list of actions you should take in the event of a seizure:
- Stay calm and time the seizure
- Protect and cushion the head
- If possible, turn the person onto their side
- Don’t restrain the person – unless they are in danger
- Let the seizure run its course
- Wipe away saliva, but do not put anything in the person’s mouth
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Purple Day was founded in 2008 by nine-year-old Cassidy Megan. The Canadian schoolgirl had recently been diagnosed with epilepsy and she wanted to find away to speak openly about her condition.
Epilepsy can affect people of all ages, but it is more prevalent in children, teenagers, and the elderly.
Over 100 countries around the world are now invited to wear purple every March 26 to raise awareness for epilepsy and inform others what you should and shouldn’t do during a seizure.
You can find out more about epilepsy here.
