The pseudobulbar effect: The reason why ‘Joker’ is prone to maniacal outbursts

The latest DC movie, the 'Joker', talks about the life of Arthur Fleck who is suffering from the pseudobulbar effect. Here is everything your need to know about the condition.

The movie 'Joker' talks about how one bad day or one bad life, in this instance, can put even the sanest man on the path to lunacy. It narrates the story of a wannabe comedian Arthur Fleck. Directerd and produced by Todd Phillips, who also co-scripted the movie with Scott Silver, 'Joker' has highlighted the neurological condition called the pseudobulbar effect.

Another term of this condition is emotional incontinence. It is a condition where a person is unable to control his or her emotions. In the movie, Arthur has fits of spontaneous laughter and he uses cards to tell people about his condition. Because of the pseudobulbar effect, a person may feel embarresed, depressed and socially isolated as it can interfere with even the simplest activity of daily life.

What is the pseudobulbar effect?

The pseudobulbar effect is an emotional disturbance that causes uncontrollable episodes of laughing and crying. Patients of this condition may end up crying uncontrollably even if they are only moderately sad. They may also find themselves tangled in various emotions and may express them multiple times in a very short period. For example, they could laugh uncontrollably and then suddenly shift to anger or tears in a matter of seconds.

Symptoms of the pseudobulbar effect

The first sign of the pseudobulbar effect is obvously the sudden uncontrollable outburst of crying or laughing. This outbust has no association with a person's current emotional state. As the condition progresses, the frequency and time of outbursts will increase. To identify this symptom in another person, look out for how he or she reacted previously to the same situation. This condition may sometimes be mistaken for depression, since it involves unnecessary periods of crying. You can distinguish it from depression, by understanding the other symptoms of depression, like sleep disturbances or a loss of appetite, that do not show up in this condition.

Causes of the pseudobulbar effect

The pseudobulbar effect occurs due to an external injury to the neurological pathways or the trigger may be some underlying health condition like stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease.

Diagnosis

The only way of diagnosing this condition is by a neurological evaluation done by a neuropsychologist, neurologist or a psychiatrist. It is important to share very detail of the condition that you are suffering from with the doctor. Otherwise, the doctor may confuse your condition with bipolar disorder, generalised anxiety disorder or schizophrenia, which have similar symptoms.

Treatment options

There is no treatment as yet for treating this condition. A doctor may prescribe anti-depressants to control the frequency of emotional outbursts. Or he may also recommend therapy.