In the last month, the “Joker” has become a success. Millions of people were delighted with the film, but there are others who have felt an “over-identification” with the character starring Joaquin Phoenix and his mental problems

Dr. Pablo Zumaeta, Neurologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma, refers to the impacts that the acclaimed film may cause on people’s mental health

“I think the film is valuable because of its message. A person who during his childhood is mistreated may lead to an abnormal personality in the future. The “Joker” has a neuropsychiatric disorder. He does not control his emotions and can kill with little stimulus. Also, he has no regrets about what he does. That is a characteristic of psychopaths”, he says

Likewise, Zumaeta points out that not all mistreated people end up with a mental disorder since resilience plays an important role

“It is the ability of some people to recover from difficult life events”, he says

On the other hand, the Neurologist affirms that the plot does not seem exaggerated, but does not consider as “very real” the disorder that causes uncontrollable laughter to the character

“I don’t think the plot is exaggerated, I think it’s plausible. The people who mistreat him are psychopaths. I don’t think it’s a Hollywood exaggeration. However, his clinical condition does not exist. There are similar conditions in people who have many brain injuries,” says Zumaeta

DANGEROUS

For Dr. Zumaeta, something negative about the film is the “over-identification” power it has over some vulnerable people

“He is like a superhero, but a bad one. There are people who are vulnerable. The message is that everyone who has been mistreated can take revenge at such a cost. That is dangerous,” he says

Dr. Pablo Zumaeta
Neurologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma