Yoga Intervention Can Reduce Felt Stigma in Epilepsy Patients

THURSDAY, Nov. 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with epilepsy, yoga therapy plus psychoeducation can reduce felt stigma, according to a study published online Nov. 8 in Neurology.

Kirandeep Kaur, Ph.D., from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine whether yoga and psychoeducation are effective for reducing felt stigma (primary outcome), neuropsychiatric outcomes, and seizure frequency. A total of 160 patients aged 18 to 60 years scoring higher than the cutoff score for felt stigma as measured by the Kilifi Stigma Scale were randomly assigned to receive yoga therapy plus psychoeducation or sham yoga therapy plus psychoeducation for three months.

The researchers found that the intervention arm reported a significant reduction in felt stigma compared with the control arm at the end of the follow-up period (six months). The odds of >50 percent seizure reduction and complete seizure remission were significantly higher in the intervention group (odds ratios, 4.11 and 7.4, respectively). Relative to the control group, significant improvement was also seen in symptoms of anxiety, cognitive impairment, mindfulness, and quality of life at the end of the follow-up period in the intervention group.

"Our study showed that doing yoga can alleviate the burden of epilepsy and improve the overall quality of life by reducing this perceived stigma," coauthor Manjari Tripathi, M.D., D.M., also from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, said in a statement.

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