Science & Technology

Real-life 'Joker' suffers from uncontrollable, pathological laughter

By T.K. Randall
April 10, 2024 ·  5 comments

There is a time and a place for laughter... Image Credit: Bing AI / Dall-E 3 Imagine finding yourself experiencing uncontrollable bouts of laughter, sometimes lasting ten minutes at a time, while out at a restaurant, at a doctor's surgery or even while attending a funeral.

This real-life malady, known as Pseudobulbar affect (PBA), is the same condition suffered by the character Arthur Fleck as played by Joaquin Phoenix in Joker and its upcoming sequel.

Such uncontrolled bouts of laughter remain a daily reality for Scott Lotan from Virginia Beach in the US whose condition can make even basic everyday tasks quite challenging.

A video showing him trying to control his symptoms while periodically laughing hysterically at nothing whatsoever can be viewed below - as you can imagine, it can be very difficult to deal with."I have had issues with not being served at restaurants and been asked to leave because waitstaff were uncomfortable," he previously told LadBible. "Many times if I am out for a drink with friends, there is someone with low self-esteem that believes I am laughing at them and they will try and start a fight."

His condition was brought into sharp focus back in 2003 when he attended the scene of a fatal car accident that had resulted in the deaths of both his mother and his fiancee.

"I remember being at the scene laughing and being questioned by police," he said.

"At the wakes for both my mother and my fiancee I would have to separate myself from everyone as I would burst into laughter at times."


Source: Lad Bible | Comments (5)

Tags: Joker