This post is part of the Epilepsy Blog Relay™, which will run from June
1 to June 30, 2018. Follow along!
The time has come for innovation. I’m not talking about in technology, but
rather in how we fight to change the perception of epilepsy in the general
public, fight the stigma. We’ve tried a
handful of strategies…
- We fight prejudice in the workplace, where many of the most egregious sightings of prejudice reside.
- We use social media to advertise the prevalence of epilepsy, saying that 1-2% of the population has epilepsy at any given time and an astounding 1 in 26 will be subject to epilepsy within their lifetimes.
- We try to get personal stories out there. But most often, they’re about our hardships, not about how typical our lives might be on balance. (After all, is anyone truly typical?)
- We struggle with how to get those among the 70% of us who have controlled seizures who hide their condition to begin to talk about their epilepsy.
- We hold walks and other events to raise awareness and funds.
- We try to educate the general public on how to respond to seizures, on how to help us.
I've not heard that they've worked well yet.
As for me, my thinking was turned upside down during a recent brainstorming session on reducing stigma with five members of Epilepsy Foundation New England community, one from the national Epilepsy Foundation, and six local business school’s alumni with marketing backgrounds participating. The headline outcome: The epilepsy
community should stop talking about stigma. We shouldn’t even use the word. And in many cases, attention is drawn to the
issue by those of us whom researchers say experience “felt” stigma vs. stigma “enacted”
by others.
In other words, to a large extent, we are the ones who
unwittingly perpetuate the stigma.
As I see it, in many, perhaps most, regions these days, the majority of people don’t truly look down on us. Sprouting from our own unmerited shame, we
can misinterpret many different reactions others may have when they learn we
have epilepsy. Do they display an element
of surprise that feels like blow-back on us?
Not knowing of the language subtleties, might they refer to us as “epileptic”
and our seizures as “fits?” Do they unconsciously
anticipate that we might have a seizure right then, and they won’t know what to
do? That’s frightening, and they may
have other emotions at play. Yes, it’s possible
that certain people might harbor old-fashioned prejudices, but there are fewer
and fewer. Why, then, would we bring
stigma to someone’s attention who may not know of it? They likely won’t advocate for us. But might they slowly be infected by it as
they mull over the issue? Probably not,
but maybe.
This isn't to say that "enacted" stigma by others doesn't exist. Goodness knows it does, and a high number of instances are found in the workplace. Nonetheless, we need to innovate our strategies. Let’s first
call for an attack on ways that we inflict prejudice against ourselves. Where did we first get it and what damage is
it doing to us, even by psychological extension? Second, how do we get to those now in hiding
whose seizures are controlled who, nonetheless, hide their conditions to start telling people about it? I wish I knew. Thus, here’s the greatest need: Joining
together as a community to determine new strategies to destigmatize ourselves
and others with epilepsy from our own prejudices.
To say the least, we need to figure this out together!
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