ABSTRACT
Though known as ‘the sacred disease’ to the ancient Greeks, epilepsy has much more often been associated with negative and pejorative imagery. Across time and different cultures, it has variously been viewed as the outcome of sin, as the product of demonic possession and as a form of madness, and consequently as a condition to be feared and rejected. The treatment of people with epilepsy throughout history has been a reflection of this. Legal and statutory restrictions on people with epilepsy are centuries old and universal and surveys of public opinion carried out during this century suggest that the ancient myths and superstitions about the nature of epilepsy still linger (Dell, 1986). Given the historical reality of epilepsy, it is not surprising that people with epilepsy continue to regard their condition as potentially, if not actually, stigmatising and to report that it has a fundamental impact on their quality of life.
