Attitudes to epilepsy ‘still in dark ages’

Commissioned by the charity Quarriers, which works with people with disabilities, the survey sheds light on the discrimination faced by people living with the most common neurological conditions.

Almost two-thirds of the 505 people interviewed in the poll said they worry about what passers-by would say or do if they had a seizure. One woman said she was mugged while having a seizure.

Sara Brannan, from Glasgow, is an outpatient at the charity’s Scottish Epilepsy Centre. She said the experience had such a negative impact on her life that she no longer ventures out alone.

More than one in four of those questioned said they have been ignored and 28 per cent said they had been laughed at as a result of having a seizure.

Gerard Gahagan, head of clinical services at Quarriers, said: “The survey results confirm attitudes towards people living with epilepsy in the UK have not changed for centuries. It appears we are stuck in the dark ages when it comes to how we treat those who suffer from one of the most common neurological conditions. These attitudes simply have to change – and fast.”