Narcolepsy Narcolepsy is a serious, life-long, potentially disabling disorder estimated to afflict more than 250,000 Americans, most of whom are undiagnosed. It was once believed that narcolepsy was a psychological problem with a psychological cause; however, considerable research has demonstrated that this theory is not true. Narcolepsy is now considered a neurological disease with an impaired brain regulatory sleep/waking mechanism being the primary cause. Narcolepsy can strike anyone at any age, but symptoms usually occur during the early teenage years. Currently, no cure for narcolepsy exists, and treatment, for the most part, is