In the past few weeks, one man known throughout Melbourne for faking seizures has gained a huge amount of fame. Locals call him the fake seizure guy. As a result, he is now facing criminal charges for creating a public nuisance and has a September court date currently scheduled. Another report claims he has been doing these things for almost ten years. Unfortunately, this has led to a wide range of positive and negative responses from the community.
All of the memes and virality that created the phenomenon over the “fake seizure guy” has even led to a subreddit. Users are constantly posting their live sightings and interactions with him. Too many women have shared their stories of how he stage managed medical crises to get them to help him. Noah was only slightly outside the situation when the “fake seizure guy” called on him. It was his curiosity and concern that made him follow up further.
Noah reflected on his experience with infectious enthusiasm. He’d sat on this man for almost 15 minutes thinking that he was helping someone who needed help. He went on to explain how the “fake seizure guy” barked orders at him. He instructed him to “sit on me right” and “put your weight onto me.” Noah said he is still baffled by the man’s reaction to the incident.
“There were times when I was pinning him down that he was getting upset because I wasn’t holding down his arms hard enough,” – Noah.
Noah was just trying to be a good Samaritan, he too, later on, thought back on the oddity of the interaction.
“I was thinking, he’s being very picky for somebody who is taking time out of their day to lay on top of a man in a park in daylight,” – Noah.
A third person, Drew, who had a similar medical emergency story himself, expressed how the experience changed how he views public medical emergencies. He suggested that now when he finds himself in such a situation, he is cynical, worrying that he is going to walk into another broken box.
Lisa Todd, a representative from Epilepsy Action Australia, criticized the actions of the “fake seizure guy,” asserting that there is no circumstance under which one should sit on someone experiencing a seizure. She focused on the impact that seizure faking has on society and the public perception and trust towards real medical emergencies.
“It’s mocking and it undermines the credibility of people who are living with epilepsy. How would you feel if someone was making fun of a health condition that you had?” – Lisa Todd.
Todd went on to explain the broader impact of these acts. He stated that they propagate unfounded stereotypes about people with epilepsy and can cause a person with epilepsy to recall previous discrimination or harm due to his or her condition.
“Spreading misinformation fuels stigma and trivializes the lived experience of individuals with epilepsy and can re-traumatise those who have suffered injury or discrimination due to their condition,” – Lisa Todd.
Additionally, she posited that if the man is indeed faking seizures, there must be an underlying reason motivating this behavior.
“If they are in fact faking seizures, there must be some underlying reason why they’re doing it,” – Lisa Todd.
The continued interest in the “fake seizure guy” even landed exposure from social media influencers. Add to that Australian content creator Christian Hull, who is said to have engaged in a duel with him, which helped raise even more awareness about these strange encounters.
While the story continues to break, many people such as Drew have already begun to reshape their everyday practices by making intentional lifestyle shifts. On that particularly bad day, he didn’t want to take his regular walk. His anxiety about meeting someone faking a medical emergency again held him up.
