There has always been a restrictive attitude surrounding epilepsy; it is just one of those things that is not appropriate to talk about.
People with the disorder are taught to never discuss it with anyone else, let alone disclose the fact that they have it. Despite the fact that epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disease in the country, it is also one of the most misunderstood. And the greatest problem facing people with epilepsy is discrimination.
Last week was not exactly a triumph in this area. While vacationing in Maine, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts had a seizure. Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and every other news show turned what should be a private matter into a world event of apprehension.
Every program speculated Roberts has epilepsy, which may not be true. Roberts had a seizure on a golf course in 1993, but that is really all anyone knows for sure.
No one really knows if Roberts has epilepsy, but everyone loves to speculate. Everyone loves to predict. Everyone loves to make judgments.
The problem with what happened to John Roberts is not the fact he had a seizure; a seizure has no bearing on his intellectual capabilities. The issue is the attitude.
Rather than taking Roberts's seizure as an opportunity to educate people about an already misunderstood disease through explaining seizures and epilepsy, the media chose to turn the news into "sensational entertainment."
During the minute-to-minute coverage on CNN and Fox News, the reporters questioned Roberts's ability to continue. Should Roberts step down? Does Roberts have a "sound mind?" Will medication (if he needs it) affect Roberts's judgment?
Even online blogs question Roberts's ability to continue, and insinuate he cannot function because of his seizure.
I do not agree with Roberts much, but I do admire his achievements. According to http://www.whitehouse.gov, he graduated at the top of his class from Harvard; was managing editor of the Harvard Law Review; was an appellate lawyer for several years; and by the age of 50, he became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
The fact that someone of such intellect had two seizures should cause a push toward eliminating the stigma surrounding epilepsy.
Instead, the media and the Internet have only perpetuated this social stigma, making a profit from seizures by keeping them obscure.
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