They are treated with disdain, they are ignored and they are not given the comfort, help or support they need at that time to ensure their recovery.
With proper medication, 50 to 80 percent of epileptics have only one seizure per month, allowing them to lead normal lives. However, successful results of medication cannot cure the injustice of misconceptions associated with epilepsy. The only excuse for these delusions is human nature.
When someone acts or looks differently, even for a short period of time, they are thought of as "strange" and excluded, either subtly or bluntly, from the mainstream of society. People are curious enough to look, or stupid enough to stare, but many do not have compassion or understanding to accept those who cannot control how their bodies react. It is understandable that jerking bodily actions of the victim and an often foaming mouth, can be a frightening experience to the onlooker, it is no excuse for not being understanding and supportive. .
Ancient Greek and Roman societies ostracized people who had epilepsy, believing they were demonic, crazy or stupid. They also believed epileptics swallowed their tongues. Such misconceptions have continued into modern times. Six percent of people responding to a 1979 Gallup poll said that 32.2 percent would not allow their children to marry an epileptic; 11.2 percent said they would not allow their children to play with an epileptic, and 22.5 percent of employers said they would terminate the employment contract after an epileptic seizure occurred in the work place. (Blackwell Synergy, Vol. 43 Issue 3).
Many epileptics are unable to work and are on Disability Allowances because they are discriminated against by employers. Revealing the disorder to potential employers often jeopardizes a prospective position, even though most are as qualified as any other applicant. The biggest killer of all is not the epilepsy, but preconceived ideas about the person who suffers it, and the idea that (in extreme cases) they will be a liability to a company.
