Regarded as one of the best Brazilian writers, Machado de Assis was diagnosed with epilepsy since childhood. In his vast work, some of the main pieces are rich in describing neuropsychiatric disorders, including epilepsy, depression, dementia (most likely related to neurosyphilis), acute confusional state (delirium), dysthymia and motor tics. An anti-psychiatric bias is clearly noticed in his approach to mental illness-related themes.