Portrayal of Brain Death in Film and Television

Abstract

We sought to evaluate whether television and cinematic coverage of brain death is educational or misleading. We identified 24 accessible productions that addressed brain death using the archives of the Paley Center for Media (160 000 titles) and the Internet Movie Database (3.7 million titles). Productions were reviewed by two board-certified neurologists. Although 19 characters were pronounced brain dead, no productions demonstrated a complete examination to assess for brain death (6 included an assessment for coma, 9 included an evaluation of at least 1 brainstem reflex, but none included an assessment of every brainstem reflex, and 2 included an apnea test). Subjectively, both authors believed only a small fraction of productions (13% A.L., 13% J.W.) provided the public a complete and accurate understanding of brain death. Organ donation was addressed in 17 productions (71%), but both reviewers felt that the discussions about organ donation were professional in a paucity of productions (9% for A.L., 27% for J.W.). Because television and movies serve as a key source for public education, the quality of productions that feature brain death must be improved.

‘If I donate my organs it’s a gift, if you take them it’s theft’: a qualitative study of planned donor decisions under opt-out legislation

“…As the patient’s breathing is maintained using mechanical support, it can be challenging for families to comprehend that the person is no longer alive. These views may also be compounded by misleading depictions of brainstem death and organ donation portrayed within the media [31]. As the main source of information and knowledge regarding organ donation, damaging media misrepresentations rapidly propagate and influence the development of harmful beliefs [32].…”

Use of Ancillary Tests When Determining Brain Death in Pediatric Patients in the United States

“…Some individuals may be able to understand brain death better when there is an objective demonstration of absent cerebral blood flow or electrical brain function, rather than the seemingly subjective findings on a clinical examination. 11,23 However, there are significant challenges associated with use of ancillary tests, and brain death is, by definition, a clinical state. 10,11 Efforts should be made to improve public understanding of brain death and physician practice in determining brain death.…”

Accuracy, Authenticity, Fidelity: Aesthetic Realism, the “Deficit Model,” and the Public Understanding of Science

“…This is particularly unsettling in connection with DSM , which has undergone major changes and has always been the object of heated controversy (Demazeux and Singy 2015; Surís, Holliday, and North 2016). The use of tables or lists to identify and comment on “misleading or incorrect” situations or statements in film and TV is of course not limited to the psychiatric field (for a recent example, on brain death, see Lewis, Weaver, and Caplan 2016).…”

“…This is particularly unsettling in connection with DSM, which has undergone major changes and has always been the object of heated controversy (Demazeux and Singy 2015; Surís, Holliday, and North 2016). The use of tables or lists to identify and comment on "misleading or incorrect" situations or statements in film and TV is of course not limited to the psychiatric field (for a recent example, on brain death, see Lewis, Weaver, and Caplan 2016). The preceding observations are not meant to devalue work that is remarkable in scope, and wishes to promote public awareness of psychiatric conditions and fight the stigmatization of persons with mental illness.…”