Epilepsy and spirituality/religiosity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24220/2318-0897v19n1/6a832Keywords:
Epilepsy, Spirituality, ReligiousAbstract
The implications of spirituality and religiosity on health have been scientifically
studied and documented. The relationship between epilepsy and spirituality and
religiosity is present in the history of mankind and has been investigated in the past few decades. This study searched the Lilacs and Medline databases for articles
published from 1997 to 2009 in English, Spanish and Portuguese using the terms “spirituality AND epilepsy” and “religiosity AND epilepsy”. The findings of the studies were divided into five topics and presented systematically in this review: 1) historical aspects of the relationship between epilepsy and spirituality/
religiosity; 2) ictal and postictal religious experience in temporal lobe epilepsy; 3) hyper-religiosity and temporal lobe epilepsy; 4) religious experience, epileptic seizures and neural bases; and 5) quality of life and spirituality and religiosity. Historically, epilepsy has been associated with prejudice against the religious
interpretations of the genesis of epileptic seizures. Religious experiences or hyper-religiosity have been described in roughly 10% of the patients with
temporal lobe epilepsy. The neural base of these religious experiences is not well defined, but temporal lobe structures seem to play an important role. This review shows the importance of considering biological, psychological and social aspects when assessing individuals with epilepsy, since religious aspects can be relevant.
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