Epilepsy, violence, and crime. A historical analysis

Abstract

In the 19th and early 20th century, epilepsy was one of the most investigated disorders in forensic psychiatry and psychology. The possible subsidiary symptoms of epilepsy (such as temporal confusion, alterations of consciousness, or increased aggression) played pivotal roles in early forensic and criminal psychological theories that aimed to underscore the problematic medical, social and legal status of epileptic criminals. These criminals were considered extremely violent and capable of committing sudden, brutal acts. Although the theory of "epileptic criminality" was refuted due to 20th-century developments in medicine, forensic psychiatry, and criminal psychology, some suppositions related to the concept of epileptic personality have lingered. This paper explores the lasting influence of the theory of epileptic personality by examining the evolution of the theories of epileptic criminality both in the international and the Hungarian context. Specifically, it calls attention to the twentieth-century revival of the theory of epileptic personality in the works of Leopold Szondi, István Benedek and Norman Geschwind. The paper shows that the issue of epileptic personality still lingers in neuropsychology. In doing so, biological reductionist trends in medical-psychological thinking are traced, and attention is drawn to questions that arise due to changing cultural and medical representations.

Epileptic-Like Disorder as an Underlying Condition in ASD, OCD, and ADHD

“…Considering the population with Rett and Kanner syndromes, epileptic seizures and classic epilepsy have often been reported, with an incidence of episodes of aggressive behavior disorders (aggression towards others or oneself) related to epilepsy, which we must consider because they represent a significant social and clinical problem (Marsh & Krauss, 2000;Schachter, 2001). We distinguish three different types of aggressive behavior based on their relationship to the epileptic event: 1) interictal aggression, 2) ictal aggression, or 3) postictal aggression (Božić & Mišić Pavkov, 2013;Delgado-Escueta et al, 1981, 2002Gyimesi, 2022). Anatomical and electrophysiological data suggest that temporal and frontal dysfunction occurs in ictal/postictal bite behavior and that all of these assaults occur in a context of high emotional arousal, anger or fear (Abd Wahab et al, 2019;Alberto Tassinari et al, 2005;Grant et al, 2013;Ito et al, 2007;Marsh & Krauss, 2000;Stanzani Maserati et al, 2007).…”

Loucura, gênero e raça: o discurso psiquiátrico na Revista Médica de S. Paulo (1898 1914)

“…Segundo Gyimesi (2022), a teoria do caráter epiléptico desenvolveu-se em conexão com o crescente interesse psiquiátrico do século XIX e início do século XX. A partir do reducionismo biológico, a epilepsia seria considerada uma doença neurológica responsável por diversos "desvios" comportamentais, tais como "aumento da emotividade, agressividade, imprevisibilidade, incapacidade de se adaptar socialmente e um elevado senso de religiosidade" (p. 04).…”