RESOURCES: Quick guide to epilepsy

1. If someone has a generalised seizure, involving loss of consciousness and muscle jerking, don't panic. The biggest common mistake is to try to restrain someone. Don't. If you think they are in danger of hurting themselves on a hard object, move the object or cushion it. Only try to move the person if they are in an obviously dangerous place like a busy road.

2. The second big mistake is the obsession with people swallowing their tongue during a seizure. Relax. They are much more likely to be injured by someone fishing about in their mouths. And you are more likely to have your finger badly bitten. Concentrate on putting something soft behind their head. Wait until the seizure is passed, then help them into the recovery position.

3. Most seizures will be over quite quickly and don't require any medical intervention. But there is a possibility of a serious condition called status epilepticus if a seizure lasts a long time or one follows another. People vary, but the danger mark is generally regarded as around five minutes. If a seizure is still going on after that time, call an ambulance.

4. Epilepsy is not all about convulsions. Partial seizures take different forms. Someone might appear confused, wander round aimlessly, chew their lips or even remove their clothing. Taxi drivers have been known to throw people out of cabs thinking they are drunk or drug-affected. A person may have no memory of it afterwards, so you may be able to help in diagnosis by observing and recording.

5. Being young with epilepsy can be tough. Natural rebelliousness, a desire to move to independence, frustration, even denial: all these can mean that some young people do not manage their condition in ways that adults want them to. Seizures can affect young people's behaviour. So can the powerful medication. Remember too that parents and other adults can often be overprotective. There are no easy answers here. As a youth worker you will want to listen, empathise and understand, supporting any young person with epilepsy in finding the choices that are right for them.

6. Use language sensitively and accurately. But don't believe everything you are told by the word police. The National Society for Epilepsy asked its members whether they were offended by the word "brainstorming" for that form of group discussion. They weren't. The society does try to avoid calling anyone an epileptic, as it is a form of labelling that sums a person in terms of their condition. It also prefers seizure to fits, as not all epileptic incidents are convulsive in the way fits suggests.

7. The National Society for Epilepsy's helpline is on 01494 601 400 or visit www.epilepsynse.org.uk.