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People suffering from epilepsy are often affected by stigma. Between 1967 and 2008, the Emnid Institute conducted six studies nationwide about attitudes toward epilepsy in Germany. It showed that the number of those who had clearly negative attitudes towards people with epilepsy decreased within the investigation period, and in 2008 the number amounted only to 10 %. In the latest survey, 90% of respondents associated epilepsy with uncontrollable seizures. Only 45% of the respondents were aware the epilepsy is treatable.

People with epilepsy experience disadvantages and discrimination in the workplace: The employers are often insecure; they fear accidents and liability claims and, therefore, have reservations about employing a person with epilepsy. According to the German Epilepsy Association, in Germany barely half of the people with epilepsy are employed. One can assume that people with epilepsy suffer today in many cases more because of the social consequences than from the disease itself, since it is now medically treatable.