Kerson Toba Schwaber, Kerson Lawrence A
Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, Bryn Mawr College, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19010, USA.
Epileptic Disord. 2006 Jun;8(2):103-13.
Epileptiform events have been portrayed in film since 1900 and on television since the 1950's. Over time, portrayals have not reflected medicine's understanding of epilepsy. At present, it is unlikely that individuals who do not have a close relationship with someone with a seizure-disorder will witness a seizure. Because fictive and often incorrect images appear increasingly, many think of them as accurate depictions. The research addresses three questions in relation to these images: How do directors use the images? Why do uses of seizures in visual media not reflect contemporary scientific knowledge? Why have they persisted and increased in use? Data consist of material from 192 films and television episodes. The general category of seizures includes seizures in characters said to have epilepsy or some other condition, seizures related to drug or alcohol use, pseudoseizures and feigned seizures, and, a category in which, for example, someone is described as "having a fit." The research demonstrates how epileptiform events drive the narrative, support the genre, evoke specific emotional reactions, accentuate traits of characters with seizures, highlight qualities of other characters through their responses to the seizures, act as catalysts for actions, and enhance the voyeuristic experience of the audience. Twenty video sequences are included in the manuscript. The authors conclude that the visual experience of seizures remains so enthralling that its use is most likely to increase particularly on television, and that as the public has less experience with real seizures, depictions in film will continue to be more concerned with what the image can do for the show and less interested in accurate portrayals. Ways to influence depictions are suggested.
自1900年起，电影中就有对癫痫样发作事件的描绘，自20世纪50年代起电视中也开始出现。随着时间的推移，这些描绘并未反映出医学对癫痫的理解。目前，与患有癫痫疾病的人没有密切关系的个体不太可能目睹癫痫发作。由于虚构且往往错误的形象越来越多，许多人认为它们是准确的描述。这项研究针对这些形象探讨了三个问题：导演如何使用这些形象？视觉媒体中癫痫发作的呈现为何不反映当代科学知识？它们为何持续存在且使用越来越多？数据包括来自192部电影和电视剧集的素材。癫痫发作的一般类别包括：剧中人物被描述患有癫痫或其他疾病时的发作、与药物或酒精使用相关的发作、假性发作和伪装发作，以及例如某人被描述为“发作”的类别。该研究展示了癫痫样发作事件如何推动叙事、支撑类型、引发特定的情感反应、突出癫痫发作人物的特征、通过其他人物对发作的反应突出其品质、充当行动的催化剂以及增强观众的窥视体验。手稿中包含20个视频片段。作者得出结论认为，癫痫发作的视觉体验仍然极具吸引力，以至于其使用很可能会增加，尤其是在电视上，而且由于公众对真实癫痫发作的体验较少，电影中的描绘将继续更关注形象对节目的作用，而对准确呈现缺乏兴趣。文中还提出了影响此类描绘的方法。
