Hyperreligiosity

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Hyperreligiosity
Specialty Psychiatry, Neurology

Hyperreligiosity is a psychiatric disturbance in which a person experiences intense religious beliefs or episodes that interfere with normal functioning. Hyperreligiosity generally includes abnormal beliefs and a focus on religious content or even atheistic content, [1] which interferes with work and social functioning. Hyperreligiosity may occur in a variety of disorders including epilepsy, [2] [3] psychotic disorders and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. [4] Hyperreligiosity is a symptom of Geschwind syndrome, which is associated with temporal lobe epilepsy. [5]

Contents

Signs and symptoms

Hyperreligiosity is characterized by an increased tendency to report supernatural or mystical experiences, spiritual delusions, rigid legalistic thoughts,[ citation needed ] and extravagant expression of piety. [6] [7] Hyperreligiosity may also include religious hallucinations. Hyperreligiosity can also be expressed as intense atheistic beliefs. [1]

Pathophysiology and cause

Hyperreligiosity may be associated with epilepsy – in particular temporal lobe epilepsy involving complex partial seizuresmania, [8] frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, [9] hallucinogen related psychosis [10] and psychotic disorder. In persons with epilepsy episodic hyperreligosity may occur during seizures [11] or postictally, but is usually a chronic personality feature that occurs interictally. [3] Hyperreligiosity was associated in one small study with decreased right hippocampal volume. [6] Increased activity in the left temporal regions has been associated with hyperreligiosity in psychotic disorders. [12] Pharmacological evidence points towards dysfunction in the ventral dopaminergic pathway. [13]

Treatment

Epilepsy related cases may respond to antiepileptics. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micropsia</span> Medical condition

Micropsia is a condition affecting human visual perception in which objects are perceived to be smaller than they actually are. Micropsia can be caused by optical factors, by distortion of images in the eye, by changes in the brain, and from psychological factors. Dissociative phenomena are linked with micropsia, which may be the result of brain-lateralization disturbance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temporal lobe</span> One of the four lobes of the mammalian brain

The temporal lobe is one of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex in the brain of mammals. The temporal lobe is located beneath the lateral fissure on both cerebral hemispheres of the mammalian brain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypergraphia</span> Psychological condition wherein a person is compelled to write or draw

Hypergraphia is a behavioral condition characterized by the intense desire to write or draw. Forms of hypergraphia can vary in writing style and content. It is a symptom associated with temporal lobe changes in epilepsy and in Geschwind syndrome. Structures that may have an effect on hypergraphia when damaged due to temporal lobe epilepsy are the hippocampus and Wernicke's area. Aside from temporal lobe epilepsy, chemical causes may be responsible for inducing hypergraphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontotemporal dementia</span> Types of dementia involving the frontal or temporal lobes

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), or frontotemporal degeneration disease, or frontotemporal neurocognitive disorder, encompasses several types of dementia involving the progressive degeneration of frontal and temporal lobes. FTDs broadly present as behavioral or language disorders with gradual onsets. Common signs and symptoms include significant changes in social and personal behavior, apathy, blunting of emotions, and deficits in both expressive and receptive language. Currently, there is no cure for FTD, but there are treatments that help alleviate symptoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gourmand syndrome</span> Rare eating disorder caused by injury to the frontal lobe or limbic structures

Gourmand syndrome is a very rare and benign eating disorder that usually occurs six to twelve months after an injury to the frontal lobe. Those with the disorder usually have a right hemisphere frontal or temporal brain lesion typically affecting the cortical areas, basal ganglia or limbic structures. These people develop a new, post-injury passion for gourmet food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontotemporal lobar degeneration</span> Medical condition

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a pathological process that occurs in frontotemporal dementia. It is characterized by atrophy in the frontal lobe and temporal lobe of the brain, with sparing of the parietal and occipital lobes.

Semantic dementia (SD), also known as semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of semantic memory in both the verbal and non-verbal domains. However, the most common presenting symptoms are in the verbal domain. Semantic dementia is a disorder of semantic memory that causes patients to lose the ability to match words or images to their meanings. However, it is fairly rare for patients with semantic dementia to develop category specific impairments, though there have been documented cases of it occurring. Typically, a more generalized semantic impairment results from dimmed semantic representations in the brain.

Progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA) is one of three clinical syndromes associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration. PNFA has an insidious onset of language deficits over time as opposed to other stroke-based aphasias, which occur acutely following trauma to the brain. The specific degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes in PNFA creates hallmark language deficits differentiating this disorder from other Alzheimer-type disorders by the initial absence of other cognitive and memory deficits. This disorder commonly has a primary effect on the left hemisphere, causing the symptomatic display of expressive language deficits and sometimes may disrupt receptive abilities in comprehending grammatically complex language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aura (symptom)</span> Symptom of epilepsy and migraine

An aura is a perceptual disturbance experienced by some with epilepsy or migraine. An epileptic aura is a seizure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hippocampal sclerosis</span> Medical condition

Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) or mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) is a neuropathological condition with severe neuronal cell loss and gliosis in the hippocampus. Neuroimaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) may identify individuals with hippocampal sclerosis. Hippocampal sclerosis occurs in 3 distinct settings: mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, adult neurodegenerative disease and acute brain injury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temporal lobe epilepsy</span> Chronic focal seizure disorder

In the field of neurology, temporal lobe epilepsy is an enduring brain disorder that causes unprovoked seizures from the temporal lobe. Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common type of focal onset epilepsy among adults. Seizure symptoms and behavior distinguish seizures arising from the medial temporal lobe from seizures arising from the lateral (neocortical) temporal lobe. Memory and psychiatric comorbidities may occur. Diagnosis relies on electroencephalographic (EEG) and neuroimaging studies. Anticonvulsant medications, epilepsy surgery and dietary treatments may improve seizure control.

Frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) is a neurological disorder that is characterized by brief, recurring seizures arising in the frontal lobes of the brain, that often occur during sleep. It is the second most common type of epilepsy after temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and is related to the temporal form in that both forms are characterized by partial (focal) seizures.

Geschwind syndrome, also known as Gastaut-Geschwind, is a group of behavioral phenomena evident in some people with temporal lobe epilepsy. It is named for one of the first individuals to categorize the symptoms, Norman Geschwind, who published prolifically on the topic from 1973 to 1984. There is controversy surrounding whether it is a true neuropsychiatric disorder. Temporal lobe epilepsy causes chronic, mild, interictal changes in personality, which slowly intensify over time. Geschwind syndrome includes five primary changes; hypergraphia, hyperreligiosity, atypical sexuality, circumstantiality, and intensified mental life. Not all symptoms must be present for a diagnosis. Only some people with epilepsy or temporal lobe epilepsy show features of Geschwind syndrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grandiose delusions</span> Subtype of delusion

Grandiose delusions (GD), also known as delusions of grandeur or expansive delusions, are a subtype of delusion that occur in patients with a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including two-thirds of patients in a manic state of bipolar disorder, half of those with schizophrenia, patients with the grandiose subtype of delusional disorder, frequently as a comorbid condition in narcissistic personality disorder, and a substantial portion of those with substance abuse disorders. GDs are characterized by fantastical beliefs that one is famous, omnipotent, wealthy, or otherwise very powerful. The delusions are generally fantastic and typically have a religious, science fictional, or supernatural theme. There is a relative lack of research into GD, in contrast to persecutory delusions and auditory hallucinations. Around 10% of healthy people experience grandiose thoughts at some point in their lives but do not meet full criteria for a diagnosis of GD.

Brief psychotic disorder ⁠— according to the classifications of mental disorders DSM-IV-TR and DSM-5 ⁠— is a psychotic condition involving the sudden onset of at least one psychotic symptom lasting 1 day to 1 month, often accompanied by emotional turmoil. Remission of all symptoms is complete with patients returning to the previous level of functioning. It may follow a period of extreme stress including the loss of a loved one. Most patients with this condition under DSM-5 would be classified as having acute and transient psychotic disorders under ICD-10. Prior to DSM-IV, this condition was called "brief reactive psychosis." This condition may or may not be recurrent, and it should not be caused by another condition.

Derealization is an alteration in the perception of the external world, causing those with the condition to perceive it as unreal, distant, distorted or falsified. Other symptoms include feeling as if one's environment is lacking in spontaneity, emotional coloring, and depth. It is a dissociative symptom that may appear in moments of severe stress.

Spiritual crisis is a form of identity crisis where an individual experiences drastic changes to their meaning system typically because of a spontaneous spiritual experience. A spiritual crisis may cause significant disruption in psychological, social, and occupational functioning. Among the spiritual experiences thought to lead to episodes of spiritual crisis or spiritual emergency are psychiatric complications related to existential crisis, mystical experience, near-death experiences, Kundalini syndrome, paranormal experiences, religious ecstasy, or other spiritual practices.

Phonagnosia is a type of agnosia, or loss of knowledge, that involves a disturbance in the recognition of familiar voices and the impairment of voice discrimination abilities in which the affected individual does not suffer from comprehension deficits. Phonagnosia is an auditory agnosia, an acquired auditory processing disorder resulting from brain damage, other auditory agnosias include cortical deafness and auditory verbal agnosia also known as pure word deafness.

Forced Normalization (FN) is a psychiatric phenomenon in which a long term episodic epilepsy or migraine disorder is treated, and, although the electroencephalogram (EEG) appears to have stabilized, acute behavioral, mood, and psychological disturbances begin to manifest. If, or when, treatment for the disorder is halted, the disturbances go away, but the episodic spikes on the EEG reappear. H. Landolt coined the term 'Forced Normalization' in 1953 in response to a change he witnessed in epileptic EEGs, which monitor electrical activity in the brain. These changes were followed by abrupt behavioral changes in the patient. Landolt concluded that forced normalization is "the phenomenon characterized by the fact that, with the occurrence of psychotic states, the electroencephalography becomes more normal or entirely normal, as compared with previous and subsequent EEG findings." Forced normalization, as described by Landolt, was therefore an electrophysiological phenomenon with the electroencephalograph at its helm.

References

  1. 1 2 Heilman, Kenneth M.; Valenstein, Edward (13 October 2011). Clinical Neuropsychology. Oxford University Press. p. 488. ISBN   9780195384871. Studies that claim to show no difference in emotional makeup between temporal lobe and other epileptic patients (Guerrant et al., 1962; Stevens, 1966) have been reinterpreted (Blumer, 1975) to indicate that there is, in fact, a difference: those with temporal lobe epilepsy are more likely to have more serious forms of emotional disturbance. This "typical personality" of temporal lobe epileptic patient has been described in roughly similar terms over many years (Blumer & Benson, 1975; Geschwind, 1975, 1977; Blumer, 1999; Devinsky & Schachter, 2009). These patients are said to have a deepening of emotions; they ascribe great significance to commonplace events. This can be manifested as a tendency to take a cosmic view; hyperreligiosity (or intensely professed atheism) is said to be common.
  2. Tucker, D. M.; Novelly, R. A.; Walker, P. J. (1 March 1987). "Hyperreligiosity in temporal lobe epilepsy: redefining the relationship". The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 175 (3): 181–184. doi:10.1097/00005053-198703000-00010. ISSN   0022-3018. PMID   3819715.
  3. 1 2 Ogata, Akira; Miyakawa, Taihei (1 May 1998). "Religious experiences in epileptic patients with a focus on ictus-related episodes". Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. 52 (3): 321–325. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1819.1998.00397.x. ISSN   1440-1819. PMID   9681585.
  4. Chan, Dennis; Anderson, Valerie; Pijnenburg, Yolande; Whitwell, Jennifer; Barnes, Jo; Scahill, Rachael; Stevens, John M.; Barkhof, Frederik; Scheltens, Philip; Rossor, Martin N.; Fox, Nick C. (1 May 2009). "The clinical profile of right temporal lobe atrophy". Brain. 132 (Pt 5): 1287–1298. doi: 10.1093/brain/awp037 . ISSN   1460-2156. PMID   19297506.
  5. Veronelli, Laura; Makaretz, Sara J.; Quimby, Megan; Dickerson, Bradford C.; Collins, Jessica A. (2017). "Geschwind Syndrome in frontotemporal lobar degeneration: Neuroanatomical and neuropsychological features over 9 years". Cortex. Elsevier BV. 94: 27–38. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2017.06.003. ISSN   0010-9452. PMC   5565695 . PMID   28711815.
  6. 1 2 Wuerfel, J.; Krishnamoorthy, E. S.; Brown, R. J.; Lemieux, L.; Koepp, M.; Elst, L. Tebartz van; Trimble, M. R. (1 April 2004). "Religiosity is associated with hippocampal but not amygdala volumes in patients with refractory epilepsy". Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. 75 (4): 640–642. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2003.06973. ISSN   1468-330X. PMC   1739034 . PMID   15026516.
  7. LaPlante, Eve (22 March 2016). Seized: Temporal Lobe Epilepsy as a Medical, Historical, and Artistic Phenomenon. Open Road Distribution. p. 181. ISBN   9781504032773.
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  10. Virginia, Sadock; Benjamin, Sadock; Pedro, Ruiz (2017). Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry (10th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. ISBN   978-1451100471. Clinically, they are said to have more mood swings, euphoria, grandiosity, hyperreligiosity, and multimodal hallucinations, and more prominent positive than negative symptoms.
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  12. Bouman, Daniëlle. The neurobiological basis of hyper-religiosity (Bachelor thesis in Cognitive Neuroscience). Tilburg University.
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  14. Anand, KE; Sadanandan, KS (1995). "Carbamazepine in interictal hyper religiosity: three Case Reports". Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 37 (3): 136–138. PMC   2971497 . PMID   21743734.