Adult epilepsy generates a burden that extends beyond seizure counts and includes adverse treatment effects, role restriction, emotional distress, and the social devaluation attached to the diagnosis. The methodological problem is not the absence of patient-reported measures, but the heterogeneity with which disease-specific quality-of-life and stigma instruments are selected, interpreted, and combined in adult studies.
Stigmatization is a social phenomenon that adversely affects not only access to care but also the quality of medical services. In the medical context, stigma occurs when patients – or even healthcare professionals – are treated differently, with prejudice or a lack of empathy, due to certain traits, conditions, or social affiliations.