Social Prejudice against Epilepsy, due to Lack of Awareness among Students - A Teenager's Perspective

Archisha Bansal

Abstract: The psychosocial burden brought by epilepsy is majorly there in societies of India along with enormous financial burden forced on the individual and their family. Remedies for the condition range from ?magic powders? to sorcery and sheer denial - local norms and social practices dictate the course of action. Some of these practices are hurtful, illogical and have brought about disgrace for the afflicted individual and their family, chronic weakness and most noticeably a worsening of the illness. Epilepsy is on the rise worldwide and sadly, most secondary school students have deficient recognition, information and hold negative convictions about the illness. It is vital to comprehend this information for effective control, prevention and treatment of epilepsy in resource poor settings like India. With this in mind, this investigation was planned to evaluate the degree of awareness in the students of Delhi ? NCR (National Capital Region).

Keywords: seizures, convulsions, myths and facts, neurological disorder, knowledge among students