To assist occupational health practitioners, experts have
produced a guidance booklet that covers the effects of epilepsy
and best practice on helping employees to cope with the
condition in the workplace. Pick any employer at random and it
is likely that they will interview or employ a person with
epilepsy at some point, or have already done so. Epilepsy
affects 50 million people worldwide, making it the most common
serious neurological condition. In the UK, one person in 100
will develop epilepsy. This means that around 1% of the labour
market, or an estimated 318,000 economically active people of
working age, suffer from it. Despite its prevalence, epilepsy
remains a socially stigmatised condition. Those affected
commonly face complex and interacting problems in finding and
maintaining employment. The UK's first good-practice guide to
epilepsy and occupational health, published by Epilepsy
Scotland, seeks to address this situation. In February,
clinicians and occupational health professionals gathered in W