Epilepsy misconceptions and stigma reduction interventions in sub-Saharan Africa, a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review identified papers that described epilepsy misconceptions or stigma in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and research interventions focused on reducing these misconceptions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Publications in the English language from January 2000 to October 2017 that described original research conducted in SSA on misconceptions about epilepsy were utilized.

RESULTS: Twenty-three publications were identified. Studies were from Nigeria (N = 4), Cameroon (N = 4), Uganda (N = 3), Zambia (N = 2), Ethiopia (N = 2), Tanzania (N = 2), Kenya (N = 2), Ghana, Zimbabwe, Benin, and Mali (N = 1 each). The studies included assessments of misconceptions among healthcare providers and medical students (N = 3), high school students (N = 2), teachers (N = 2), the general public (N = 10), people with epilepsy (N = 7), and traditional healers (N = 1). Only two studies had stigma-focused interventions. Majority of the studies reported limitations to socialization with people with epilepsy and various beliefs associated with epilepsy.

CONCLUSIONS: Epilepsy misconceptions, stigmatizing cultural beliefs, and perceptions were widely prevalent in SSA, and there are a few studies targeting epilepsy stigma. Existing stigma-reduction educational approaches may be impractical for general population implementation. Scalable approaches to reduce stigma are urgently needed within SSA.