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Helping a Person During a Seizure

Table of Contents


Overview

If you see someone who is having a seizure, stay calm. Although seizures seem to last a long time, they usually last less than 3 minutes.

A seizure can be scary to watch, especially if you've never seen one before. A seizure temporarily interferes with muscle control, movement, speech, vision, or awareness. It may cause a person's entire body to shake for a few seconds to a few minutes, and they may lose consciousness.

Seizures can be mild to severe, and they affect people differently. Even though you may feel helpless around someone having a seizure and find it difficult to watch, there are many things you can do to help.

Time the seizure, if you can. If the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes or the person seizing is pregnant (no matter how long the seizure lasts), call 911 or other emergency services immediately.

You may be able to provide valuable feedback to the doctor treating the person having the seizure. Try to remember:

When to get emergency help

Seizures do not always require urgent care. But call 911 or other emergency services right away if:


Credits for Helping a Person During a Seizure

Current as of: December 20, 2023

Author: Healthwise Staff (https://www.healthwise.org/specialpages/legal/abouthw/en)
Clinical Review Board (https://www.healthwise.org/specialpages/legal/abouthw/en)
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.


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