Epilepsy – A History of Stigmatism
Epilepsy is a medical condition with a long history of stigmatism and misunderstanding. Recorded evidence of people with this disease in ancient history mainly attributed it to demonic or spiritual possession. In fact, the great Roman practitioner Hippocrates, believed that it was not a supernatural phenomenon, but occurred in the brain and may linked to genetics. Unfortunately, people did not believe him until the 17th century when these misunderstandings gradually disappeared with medical advancements. However, the stigma with epilepsy still persists these days. One goal of the National Epilepsy Awareness Month is to help people understand more about the condition and separate it from false and historical reputations. [2]
