When someone is having is seizure, they will often experience involuntary movement and involuntary changes in behaviour and awareness. If you've never witnessed a seizure, you might be shocked, confused, scared, worried, or all of the above. The most important thing, however, is for you to remain calm, and know what to expect.


Steps

1. Become familiar with different kinds of seizures. The key to recognizing if a person is having a seizure, and knowing what to do, is to be prepared.
   
   
   • Partial seizures affect only part of the brain.
     • Simple partial seizures (SPS). The person is awake and aware of what's happening; there could be twitching of one limb, unusual smell or taste, a strange feeling (like "pins and needles") or a sudden intense feeling of fear or joy. The person will usually need gentle reassurance.
     • Complex partial seizures (CPS). Consciousness is affected, and the person might wander around, behave strangely, and seem confused. It can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. Don't restrain them, gently guide them away from any dangerous situations (like a busy road), and speak quietly and calmly until they are reoriented.
   • Generalized seizures affect all of the brain, and the person becomes unconscious.
     • Absences or petit mal. The person may look blank and cease to respond to what's going on around them. Stay with them and guide them away from dangerous situations.
     • Tonic and atonic seizures. In a tonic seizure, the person's muscles suddenly get stiff and if they're standing, they might fall backwards. In an atonic seizure, the person's muscles will suddenly relax and they get "floppy"--they'll often fall forward instead of backwards. Both seizures are brief and sudden, and the person tends to recover quickly.
     • Myoclonic seizures are when a person's limb (or part of their limb) starts jerking. These seizures are brief, and they often happen shortly after waking up. They can happen in clusters.
     • Tonic clonic (convulsive) or grand mal seizures. The person falls to the ground and makes shaking or jerking movements. Their breathing is affected, they may go blue, and they may bite their tongue. While frightening to watch, calling emergency services is usually not necessary, and the person can recover.
2. Ease the person to the floor so they don't fall. If possible, very gently tilt the person's head to the side so that if they vomit, they don't choke on or inhale it. Whatever you do, don't ever restrain a person having a seizure, even if they are moving violently.
3. Make sure the person is breathing. If their breathing is difficult, check that nothing is blocking their airway, like food. Otherwise, do not insert anything into the person's mouth. Some sources recommend putting a handkerchief or any rolled up fabric between the teeth so that the person doesn't bite his or her tongue but the prevailing advice is that you may do more harm than good by trying to put something (even water, pills, or food) in their mouth.
4. Protect the head with a pillow, cushion, jacket, or any soft object, if you can. In "grand mal" seizures, the person can hit their head against the floor repeatedly. A cold wet cloth on the forehead may help. If the person is wearing a hair clip, remove it.
5. Move furniture and other obstacles out of the way - anything that they might bump into, or that might fall onto them. Keep an eye out for sharp cornered items, or things that will shatter into sharp edges when broken.
6. Check for any kind of ID card or medical jewelry. There might be some information on it that will help you help them.
7. Loosen any constrictive clothing unless they're jerking too much (ties, belts, shirt collars). If the person is wearing a necklace, unhook it if you can.
8. Get privacy - urge people to move on and stop staring; close the door. This is for the safety of the onlookers, as well as to keep the person having the seizure from feeling embarrassed, vulnerable, or confused.
9. Monitor the person's condition until they regain consciousness. The person might've wet themselves; if so, try and hide this to spare any embarrassment. Get emergency assistance if:
   
   
   • the seizure occurred in water
   • if the person doesn't have a medic alert necklace or bracelet that says "epilepsy" or seizure"
   • if they are pregnant, hurt, or have a necklace or bracelet that says "diabetic"
   • seizure lasts more than 5 minutes
   • second seizure starts shortly after the first one stops
   • if the person doesn't wake up after the seizure stopped
10. Put the person in the recovery position. Presuming they're on their back and you're at their side:
    
    
    • Put the arm that's closest to you at a right angle to their body, with the palm facing upwards.
    • Lift the other arm across their body and put the back of their hand against their cheek; hold it there.
    • Lift the knee that's furthest from you so that their leg is bent and their foot is flat on the floor.
    • Pull the bent knee towards you, and the person's body should roll onto their side, keeping your hand against their cheek. The knee should remain bent so that the leg is at a right angle to their body.
11. Write down any details as soon as you get the chance. This can be extremely valuable to the person who had the seizure, as well as to their doctor.
    
    
    • part of the body the seizure started in
    • parts of the body affected
    • warning signs before the seizure
    • length of the seizure
    • what the person was doing before and after the seizure
    • did their mood change?
    • were there any triggers, like tiredness, hunger, or feeling queasy?
    • any unusual sensations they spoke of?
    • what made you notice that they were having a seizure - a noise? did they fall? did their eyes roll?
    • did the person appear "blank" before or during the seizure?
    • did they do anything unusual, like mumble or fiddle with their clothing?
    • did their appearance change, like the color of their face, lips, hands?
    • did their breathing change in any way?
12. When they come to, stay with them for at least 20 minutes. Reassure them that they are safe. Take the person to a doctor or emergency room if they sustained any injuries during the seizure..

Tips

• A partial seizure can develop into a generalized seizure, and sometimes the person is aware of it coming. If so, help them get safe before it happens.

Warnings

• A person can have multiple seizures, one after the other, without recovering in between. If this lasts for more than 30 minutes, it's called a status epilepticus, or just status. If this happens, the person may need to see a doctor about it, but if they have status in a tonic clonic seizure, this is a medical emergency and you should immediately call for help (don't wait 30 minutes).
• There is a common myth that someone having a seizure might swallow their tongue. This isn't true, and you should never stick your fingers in their mouth to hold their tongue down. It's not physically possible to swallow your tongue.