When the diagnosis of epilepsy is made, the patient must first of all be investigated to make sure that the epilepsy is not symptomatic of a disease that will need some special line of treatment. For example, epilepsy starting at any age may be the first indication of a cerebral tumour, although this will obviously be more likely among the older patients. The nature and extent of these investigations will depend on such factors as the age of onset, the type of seizure and the associated positive physical signs. However, even in the cases where there is no evidence whatsoever that the epilepsy is symptomatic, an electroencephalogram may help in differentiating the type of epilepsy from which any particular patient is suffering, and so aid in deciding on the form of treatment most likely to be beneficial. When any necessary investigations have been carried out and the form that treatment is to take has been settled, the social implication of this diagnosis has then to be faced. This often resolves itself into a discussion of the patient's employment.