Shaba B, MacLachlan M, Carr S C, Ager A
Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi.
Cent Afr J Med. 1993 Aug;39(8):165-7.
Although epilepsy may be successfully managed with appropriate medication, in Africa epileptics are often vilified, sometimes because of traditional beliefs about the illness. We investigated the strength of beliefs which 112 rural Malawians held regarding traditional and medical explanations for the cause, treatment and cure of epilepsy. Those who believed in traditional causes of epilepsy also endorsed traditional treatment for it, though they did not see such treatment as curative. Those who believed in a medical treatment, did however see such treatment as curative. Knowledge of a local medical facility for the treatment of epilepsy was also positively related to the belief that epilepsy is curable. The ability of people to simultaneously hold medical and traditional beliefs about epilepsy was noted.
尽管癫痫可以通过适当的药物治疗得到成功控制，但在非洲，癫痫患者常常受到诋毁，有时是因为对这种疾病的传统观念。我们调查了112名马拉维农村居民对癫痫病因、治疗和治愈的传统及医学解释的信念强度。那些相信癫痫传统病因的人也认可针对癫痫的传统治疗方法，尽管他们并不认为这种治疗能治愈疾病。而那些相信医学治疗的人，则认为这种治疗可以治愈癫痫。对当地治疗癫痫的医疗机构的了解也与认为癫痫可治愈的信念呈正相关。人们同时持有关于癫痫的医学和传统信念的能力也得到了关注。
