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Review
. 2025 Sep 2;17(9):e91498.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.91498. eCollection 2025 Sep.

Epilepsy-Related Misconceptions, Cultural Beliefs, and Their Impact on Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Osman Suliman  1 , Najat Almuwallad  2 , Aisha Aljawi  2 , Atheer Alnuwbi  2 , Raghad Altuwaylie  2 , Linah Bulayl  2 , Jana Alhusayni  2 , Noor Alanazi  2
Affiliations
Review

Epilepsy-Related Misconceptions, Cultural Beliefs, and Their Impact on Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Osman Suliman et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Epilepsy is still a highly stigmatized neurological condition globally, and health outcomes in patients are greatly impacted by cultural misunderstandings. Treatment delays, poor adherence, and social isolation can result from misconceptions that attribute epilepsy to supernatural origins, contagion, or genetic factors. This is especially true in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In light of this, we conducted this systematic review to analyze various aspects related to the topic. Out of 499 publications that were retrieved using Semantic Scholar, 40 research articles from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas were examined. Cultural attitudes, stigma, and epilepsy health outcomes were the main topics of the inclusion criteria. To assess misunderstandings, social consequences, healthcare-seeking behaviors, and the efficacy of interventions, data were thematically synthesized. In 66-72% of the groups examined, supernatural beliefs (such as witchcraft and curses) were common, which resulted in a preference for traditional healers and a delay in receiving care. Stigma took the form of prejudice in marriage, job (72% exclusion from the workplace), and education (66% opposed education for individuals with epilepsy in Rwanda). In LMICs, interventions such as culturally sensitive treatment and community education increased adherence but were not scalable. Cultural misconceptions perpetuate epilepsy-related stigma and poor health outcomes. Effective strategies require integrated approaches combining biomedical care with community-based education and policy reforms. Future research should prioritize scalable, culturally adapted interventions to reduce the global epilepsy "treatment gaps."

Keywords: cultural beliefs; epilepsy; health outcomes; stigma; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. The PRISMA flowchart depicting the selection of studies for the systematic review
PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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