Epilepsy ‘blights job prospects’

The career paths and job prospects of many people living with epilepsy are blighted by their condition, according to a survey.

In severe cases some sufferers have been left struggling to hold down a job for more than a few months.

The wide-ranging poll found a third of those interviewed admitted being worried about leaving home in case they had a seizure. And when people did collapse, almost a third (30 per cent) said they were ignored as they lay on the ground, while 28 per cent were laughed at.

The poll was commissioned by social care charity Quarriers and its head of clinical services, Gerry Gahagan, said the findings revealed the public’s attitudes were stuck in the “Dark Ages”.

Seventy-two per cent of those questioned said their condition had had an impact on their career progression and choices.

Epilepsy is one of the commoner neurological conditions, affecting more than 600,000 people across the UK.

Sara Brannan, from Glasgow, was once mugged during a severe seizure. She also described how her condition had affected her working life: “I once was sacked for ‘scaring staff’. And these are adults I’m talking about, people who were older than me at the time.”