King Abdulaziz Medical City, King Khalid National Guard Hospital, Neurology Section, Department of Medicine, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Seizure. 2012 May;21(4):245-9. doi: 10.1016/j.seizure.2012.01.001. Epub 2012 Feb 5.
Epilepsy has been linked to divine, demonic and supernatural powers throughout its long history. This study was conducted to explore if misconceptions such as possession by demons (Jinns) are still believed to be a cause of epilepsy among educated Saudis today.
This study was conducted among university-educated school teachers and undergraduate students. The findings are based on a structured questionnaire enquiring about familiarity with epilepsy, sources of knowledge, and depth of knowledge about specific aspects of epilepsy.
Responses from 398 participants were included in the analysis of the results. Most participants had witnessed epileptic seizures. 2/3 of the participants reported that they had learned about epilepsy from friends and relatives. 172 (43.1%) members believed that epilepsy is a psychiatric disease. 62 (40.3%) of the school teachers and 123 (50.4%) of the students in the study considered possession as a cause of epilepsy. The majority of the cohort believed medical treatment for the condition exists despite the fact that a significant number believed that faith healers and traditional medicine can be of help in the treatment of epilepsy.
Jinn possession is still believed to be a cause of epilepsy in Saudi society, even among fairly well-educated people. This finding emphasizes the urgent need for public education campaigns at all levels of education.
癫痫在其漫长的历史中一直与神、魔和超自然力量联系在一起。本研究旨在探讨在当今受过教育的沙特人中，是否仍然存在恶魔（Jinns）附身等误解被认为是癫痫的病因。
这项研究是在受过大学教育的学校教师和本科生中进行的。研究结果基于一份结构化问卷，该问卷询问了他们对癫痫的熟悉程度、知识来源以及对癫痫特定方面的知识深度。
在对结果进行分析时，共纳入了 398 名参与者的回复。大多数参与者曾目睹过癫痫发作。三分之二的参与者表示他们从朋友和亲戚那里了解到了癫痫。172 名（43.1%）成员认为癫痫是一种精神疾病。62 名（40.3%）学校教师和 123 名（50.4%）学生认为癫痫是由恶魔附身引起的。尽管大多数人认为有治疗癫痫的方法，但仍有相当数量的人认为信仰治疗者和传统医学可以在治疗癫痫方面提供帮助。
即使在受过良好教育的人群中，沙特社会仍认为恶魔附身是癫痫的病因之一。这一发现强调了在各级教育中开展公众教育运动的迫切需要。
