Epilepsy and the law

Epilepsy, and the treatment thereof, has effects on many aspects of life, with far-reaching implications for the patient, his family and the community. Epilepsy causes a great deal of social difficulties and restrictions due to the associated stigma and prejudice. It is not a rare condition and is associated with many other conditions, such as schizophrenia, mental retardation, autism, and terminal Alzheimer's disease. Other associated disorders may include cognitive difficulties, personality disturbances or psychoses of various types and durations. Only by the 1850's was epilepsy defined as a "neurological" disease.