56% of French people think that people with epilepsy can suffer discrimination at work.
- The public has a positive view of people with epilepsy.
- Epilepsy nevertheless remains a poorly understood disease.
On the occasion of International Epilepsy Awareness Day, Angelini Pharma unveils a new study conducted by SWG in five European countries* on the perception of this disease.
People with epilepsy considered “normal”
First lesson: the public has a positive opinion of people with epilepsy. Most respondents in the countries surveyed believe that people with epilepsy are completely normal, especially if they take their medication regularly. In France, when asked whether people living with epilepsy can be considered “completely normal” people – or completely normal if the disease is controlled by medication – 76% of the sample answered in the affirmative: an answer similar to that of 3 out of 4 respondents in the countries studied.
This data seems to be confirmed even when respondents are asked what they think people with epilepsy can do: 80% of those who know them personally say that “they can lead a normal life in most cases”. However, the perception seems to change depending on whether or not one knows people with epilepsy: only 66% of those who do not know people with epilepsy believe that they can lead a normal life.
Fear of professional discrimination
Another important point is that of work: on average, 63% of respondents believe that people with epilepsy can perform most tasks (with the exception of Germany, where the sample is less than 50%).
However, when asked if people with epilepsy can suffer forms of discrimination, 56% of the French sample answered in the affirmative.
Moreover, faced with the hypothesis of finding oneself suffering from epilepsy, many fears appear, first and foremost such as that of losing one’s job. A concern shared by 40% of the sample. A tendency that we find, although to a lesser extent, in the answer to the question “If you had epilepsy, would you be afraid to reveal it?” : among the respondents, 30% would be afraid to announce their illness to colleagues, 26% to a friend and 18% to a family member.
Insufficient knowledge of the disease
The vast majority of the sample say they have heard of epilepsy (96%), but few say they know it well (57% say they know the disease “quite well”, 13% “very well”).
On average, nearly a fifth of the sample, or 18% for France, thinks that epilepsy is a transmissible disease, or does not know if it is transmissible or not (the answer is no, editor’s note). Furthermore, the vast majority of French respondents (85%) consider seizures to be the main symptom of epilepsy, although they are only one of the possible manifestations of this condition.
How to intervene in a crisis?
In France, less than half of respondents say they are able to intervene in the event of an epileptic seizure (41%). The value is even lower among those who do not know people with epilepsy, with an average of 22% of respondents from the five countries.
“Research shows that, in fact, we talk a lot about epilepsy, but we don’t yet know enough about it. It is essential to raise awareness, to raise awareness of the disease and, above all, to promote the ‘inclusion of people who have it’comments Agnese Cattaneo, Chief Medical Officer of Angelini Pharma. “Epilepsy, in fact, has several neurobiological, cognitive and psychosocial consequences. In many parts of the world, the disease is still stigmatized. A third of people with epilepsy remain refractory to medical treatments, and the development of new therapeutic options is therefore necessary”she concludes.
*France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and Spain.
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