The Social Dimensions of Stigmatizing Epilepsy Patients A Field Study in Two Urban Modes

The study aimed to reveal the social dimensions of epilepsy patients at Kasr Al-Ainy Hospitals in Cairo, and Beni Suef University in the light of Goffman's symbolic interactive approach. The analytical descriptive research was used as a source for collecting primary data through a questionnaire and interviews with a sample among adolescents and young people from 12-24 years old, by means of a purposive sample (250 items). The field research showed the presence of social dimensions in (1) that stigma for epilepsy patients is a predicament, because there are groups in society that maintain their vision of stigmatized people, through mechanisms of deprivation and exclusion. (2) There is a link between the history of stigma and the diagnosis of the injury, which raises more doubts and fears. And how to obtain information. (3) The coping mechanisms to the effects of stigma depend on the concealment of the disease and its symptoms. (4) The close circles (family) are still tolerated so that stigma does not become high or aggressive. (5) The stigmatized self is exposed to regret, embarrassment, and tolerance in terms of appearance, appearance and contentment. (6) The media promotes the social reality of the disease with the intention of entertainment and entertainment, which leads to the division between "us" and "them". (7) The middle classes are still subject to medical policy and health and social empowerment.