The Depiction of Seizures in Film

Social Work in Health Care

2008

Self Cite

Seizures and epilepsy have been portrayed in film since 1900 and on television since the 1950s, but unlike many other conditions, their depictions have not improved with increased scientific understanding. At this time, most individuals who are under 45 years of age will never witness a seizure. Thus, their information about what seizures are comes from depictions in film and on television. Because especially on television these fictive and often erroneous images are increasing, many think of them as accurate. 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 242 films and television episodes. The general category of seizures includes seizures in characters said to have epilepsy or some other condition, seizures related to alcohol/drug use, feigned or pseudoseizures, and a "throwaway" category. The research demonstrates how epileptiform events drive the narrative, support the genre, evoke emotional reactions, highlight traits of characters with seizures, accentuate traits of other characters through their responses, act as catalysts for action, and enhance voyeuristic experience. Through connecting categories, we explain a basic social process (Glaser, 2007). The conclusion is that these images are so enthralling that their use is likely to persist. The authors suggest that advocates acknowledge this and then find ways to have more continuing characters with correctly depicted epilepsy be part of television series as a way of exploring the truly enthralling dimensions of the condition.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Truly Enthralling: Epileptiform Events In Film and On Television—Why They Persist and What We Can Do About Them

Social Work in Health Care

2008

Self Cite

“…During the first year of the ICAN study, 18 it became evident that the TBR derived during neurofeedback training sessions using the EEGer software was different from the TBR value determined by the ADHD Suite used for screening, even though the same amplifier (Thought Technology Infiniti) was used for all subjects' TBR assessments and about half the subjects' training. This article describes the results of our analysis of the factors contributing to this discrepancy and the implications of our findings for the application of TBR in the assessment and treatment of ADHD in the clinical, educational, and research settings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2014, the International Collaborative ADHD Neurofeedback (ICAN) Study 18 was funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) to investigate the specific benefits of using neurofeedback to down-train the TBR in children aged 7 to 10 years with ADHD who have a TBR of ≥4.5. To determine if a participant met the inclusion criterion of a TBR of 4.5 or higher, the initial screening protocol included the Monastra-Lubar ADHD Assessment Suite (ADHD Suite).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

EEG Theta/Beta Ratio Calculations Differ Between Various EEG Neurofeedback and Assessment Software Packages: Clinical Interpretation

deBeus

Lightstone³

et al. 2019

Clin EEG Neurosci

The quantitative electroencephalographic (QEEG) theta/beta power ratio (TBR) has been shown to have an association with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a previous tacit assumption of equivalence across hardware and software systems. Therefore, the International Collaborative ADHD Neurofeedback (ICAN) randomized clinical trial used a fixed TBR ≥ 4.5 cutoff as measured by the Thought Technology Monastra-Lubar Assessment Suite as an inclusion criterion, 1.5 SD above norms collected with that system. However, a difference was noted between the TBR calculated by that assessment suite and the TBR computed by EEGer, the neurofeedback software used for treatment, leading us to investigate the discrepancy. The difference may arise from different calculation methods. This article explains and compares various computational methods used to calculate and display EEG values, including TBR, elucidating why the values are not equivalent across equipment and software programs. Two major sources of variance are (1) how “spectral leakage” at the ends of bands is handled and (2) whether voltages of bins within a band are first averaged and then squared to get bandwidth power or are first squared to get power (turning negative voltages into positive power) and then averaged to get the bandwidth power; the latter method results in higher band power. This article compares methods of computing the TBR. Biofeedback practitioners and investigators should be aware of the algorithms their systems use when interpreting TBRs and require normative comparison data collected with the same system.

“…YouTube is the only form of mass media that allows those concerned with epilepsy to appear as they wish in the widest possible public domain, the internet. This research is related to ongoing studies of representations of seizures and epilepsy particularly in broadcast media (film and television) but also in newspapers and popular music (Baxandale, 2003(Baxandale, , 2008Kalra, 2011;Kerson, Kerson & Kerson, , 1999Krauss, Gondek, Krumholtz, Paul, & Shen, 2000;Kerson & Kerson, 2007;Kerson & Kerson, 2008;Kerson, 2010;Moeller, Moeller, Rahey & Sadler, 2010). The very nature of broadcast media means the audience shares a common culture that is fixed and passive.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epilepsy Postings on YouTube: Exercising Individuals' and Organizations' Right to Appear

Social Work in Health Care

2012

Self Cite

Philosopher Hannah Arendt maintains that everyone has the right to appear in public as an embodied, singular individual. Because of the stigma attached to epilepsy, many with this condition are denied this right. Using grounded theory techniques, the author analyzes uploads of epilepsy on YouTube. The author argues that personal uploads on YouTube are the only mass media examples in which those with epilepsy can exercise their right to appear without the interpretation of intermediaries. Emerging themes relating to "the right to appear" allow social workers to deepen understanding of this and other devastating, often invisible and sometimes life-threatening illnesses.