Talking about epilepsy

Encourage open discussion with the person with epilepsy. No two people are the same, so asking questions about the person’s seizure type and any trigger they may have can be really useful. (An example of a trigger for seizures would be lack of sleep or stress.)

Also, it is worth discussing what action should be taken, if a seizure happens at work, and making sure that first aiders are aware of any agreed plan.

If the employee is seizure free or only has sleep seizures or seizures first thing in the morning, it may not be necessary to tell other people in the workplace about the epilepsy. However, if someone may have a seizure at work, it is worth deciding with that person what, if anything, to tell other members of staff.

Bear in mind that employees have a right to confidentiality, so ask their permission before any information about them is passed to third parties.

Last updated 2 May 2007