Joaquin Phoenix's performance in Joker stunned one and all with its dark and deadly theme and the movie sent shock waves about how a person actually feels during the depression, loneliness and anxiety. The hard-hitting film garnered applause from all around the world and brought to light the pathological laughing disorder which several people suffer and are undergoing treatment across the globe.
A man named Scott Lotan from Virginia suffers from the same pathological laughing disorder which is named as pseudobulbar affect (PBA) in medical terms and is a symptom of multiple sclerosis. This rare condition makes Scott have laughing episodes which can last up to 10 minutes in a stretch. He revealed that his laughing periods are both exhausting and stressful.
"I have had issues with not being served at restaurants and been asked to leave because waitstaff were uncomfortable. 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," said Scott to LadBible.
Scott also revealed that he finds it hard to explain people about his condition and despite explaining it's beyond his control, many people assume he's a psychopath and freak. "I try to be fully aware of myself and I understand that it's beyond my control, but knowing that others think you are a freak and always explaining to people I am not this emotionally void psychopath can be difficult."
Due to his condition, Scott totally understands the plight and suffering of Arthur Fleck in the movie Joker. He connected his life in the scene where Phoenix laughs uncontrollably in a bus in front of a mother-son duo and stated that he too has experienced the same several times and was unable to stop laughing irrespective of the circumstances he was in.
Scott also mentioned that he too faced rejection by scores of people due to his laughing condition and found many similarities between him and Phoenix, who was also ignored in the movie by a lot of people and felt a deep sense of rejection and sadness.
