Family

    Fast facts

    1. 1
      Your family can be a brilliant source of support
    2. 2
      Many young people with epilepsy feel their parents are over-protective
    3. 3
      Some parents struggle to adapt to their children growing into young adults
    4. 4
      Some parents worry more about epilepsy than their children do

    Research shows that parents are significantly more risk averse when deciding things for their child than for themselves

    Top tips

    Mum and daughter

    Brothers and sisters

    If you have brothers and sisters you might get more attention than them because of having epilepsy. This may affect your relationship with them. Siblings without epilepsy can feel left out and in some families this causes tension.

    As you grow up your relationship with your siblings will naturally change. You might find they are living separately from you for the first time. If you have younger siblings they might be scared of seeing you have seizures.

    To help your siblings understand epilepsy, you could show them this website.

    If you have younger brother or sisters, Epilepsy Action has information for brothers and information for sisters to help them understand epilepsy.

    Stories by you

    Read about the support Adam got from his family

    Read Brooke’s story about how epilepsy affected her relationship with family and friends

    Tips for managing overprotective parents

    Planning a conversation

    If you want to talk to your family about any concerns this is a good way to structure a conversation.

    Sikh dad and his two daughters

    Do something

    Take a moment to imagine that you are your parents. What concerns might they have about your safety and wellbeing? Is there anything you could do to help reduce their concerns?

    Seizure first aid resources

    Your family can help you by knowing what to do if you have a seizure. Here’s some suggestions of first aid resources.

    First aid for epilepsy z-card available from the Epilepsy Action shop 30p+ p&p

    First aid z-card

    What to do when someone has a seizure –  A free short online course that shows first aid for all seizure types

    Online course

    Show them the first aid page on The Epilepsy Space

    Seizure first aid

    Show them the relevant page on The Epilepsy Space for your seizure types

    Seizure types

    First aid videos on YouTube

    You can show your family these videos on YouTube

    • Tonic-clonic seizure first aid

    • What a focal seizure can look like

    Support for your family

    Epilepsy can affect the whole family. If your family need support here are some things that may help:

    –  Freephone 0808 800 5050

    – Email helpline@epilepsy.org.uk

    – Text 07479 638 071

    Updated 12 May 2020
    Review 12 May 2023
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