Baxendale Sallie
Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK.
Lancet Neurol. 2003 Dec;2(12):764-70. doi: 10.1016/s1474-4422(03)00589-1.
In this review I examine the portrayal of epilepsy, seizures, and non-epileptic attack disorder in 62 movies produced over three-quarters of a century, across four continents, covering nine cinematic genres. While similar reviews of epilepsy in literature have suggested a progression in the understanding of epilepsy over time, this survey of the newer medium found examples of all of the ancient beliefs about epilepsy including demonic or divine possession, genius, lunacy, delinquency, and general "otherness". Nevertheless there has been a progressive trend towards more overt depictions of epilepsy. Male characters with idiopathic epilepsy tend to be mad, bad, and commonly dangerous, whereas characters with post-traumatic epilepsy are usually cast as heroes triumphing against the odds. Epilepsy in female characters tends to signify exotic vulnerability. The dramatic potential of seizures remains highly tempting to film writers and directors alike. Although it is not for the medical profession to dictate or censor cinematic content, a keen eye on these depictions will help us to understand and perhaps combat some of the stereotypes and myths that continue to surround epilepsy in the 21st century.
在这篇综述中，我研究了在四分之三个世纪里，于四大洲制作的涵盖九种电影类型的62部影片中癫痫、癫痫发作及非癫痫性发作障碍的呈现方式。虽然对文学作品中癫痫的类似综述表明，随着时间推移人们对癫痫的理解有所进步，但对这种较新媒介的这项调查发现了所有关于癫痫的古老观念的例子，包括被恶魔或神灵附身、天才、精神错乱、犯罪及一般的“另类”。然而，存在一种越来越公开描绘癫痫的渐进趋势。患有特发性癫痫的男性角色往往疯狂、邪恶且通常很危险，而患有创伤后癫痫的角色通常被塑造为战胜重重困难的英雄。女性角色中的癫痫往往意味着异域风情的脆弱。癫痫发作的戏剧潜力对电影编剧和导演都极具吸引力。虽然医学专业人士不应规定或审查电影内容，但密切关注这些描绘将有助于我们理解并或许对抗一些在21世纪仍围绕着癫痫的刻板印象和误解。
