Paul Pugh, A Case Of Pathological Laughter

The case of Paul Pugh

One of  the best-known cases is that of Paul Pugh. His tragedy began one night in 2007. He was partying with friends. He was on his way home when he encountered four men who inexplicably began to beat him.

The blows were so strong that they fractured his skull. Paul, who was then 27, fell into a coma. He stayed there for two months. He had to relearn how to do the simplest tasks. Walk, eat, talk. He seemed healed from his trauma when something unexpected happened.

During a meeting with his doctors, they began to talk to him about the after-effects of the beating. Paul was terribly impressed. He felt a strong urge to cry and, in his mind and in his heart, he began to do so. However, from an external point of view, he could only manage to laugh. He gave a pathological laugh. Her interior was crying , but her exterior was laughing  .

At first, he knew only great social rejection. Over time, the doctors understood what was happening to him. They called it “pseudobulbar disease” (PBA). Part of his brain  had disconnected. When this happens, a person can have pathological laughter attacks. It can also be manifested by crying. Over the years, Paul has managed to control nine out of ten pathological laughter attacks.

Pathological laughter and its causes

People who suffer from this problem suffer tremendously. Their life becomes a permanent anguish. Due to their “inappropriate” behavior, they tend to isolate themselves. They  to write how terrible it is to feel intense emotion and express another emotion that has nothing to do with it.

Pathological laughter or pathological crying appears for various reasons. The most common is that they occur after trauma, as in the case of Paul. However, they can also be caused by different abnormal neurological conditions.

We know that people with multiple sclerosis have experienced this type of symptom as well. Pathological laughter has also been reported in people with  Alzheimer’s disease. Any condition that directly affects the brain can lead to this bothersome symptom.

Brain tumors can also cause this problem. Apparently,  what’s going on here is a disconnection between the brain, cerebellum, and medulla oblongata.  We also know that the hypothalamus has consequences on this pathology.

Other types of pathological laughter

Psychiatry also records cases of pathological laughter which obey different causes. They call it generically “emotional incontinence”. This is due to mental conditions in which the emotions are manifested in an exaggerated way. The person is not able to suppress laughter, crying or other emotions. It is also associated with cases of dementia caused by vascular problems.

There are certain types of schizophrenia that cause these episodes of pathological laughter. It is also common that pathological laughter occurs due to the use of psychoactive drugs. It is common knowledge that the use of marijuana causes outbursts of uncontrollable laughter in many people. Likewise,  some autism spectrum diseases cause similar symptoms  .

The sad part about it is that those who suffer from this problem usually experience other side effects. According to research conducted by the Institute of Psychology at the University of Freiburg (Germany), more than half of these patients suffer from other problems. Usually, IQ decreases and different cognitive problems appear.

The treatments for this problem are very limited. Basically there is no cure. However, people like Paul Pugh set a good example. He managed to detect the moment just before a pathological laughter fit. In this case, he seeks to immediately recall annoying scenes. It keeps him from laughing. However, his life remains very limited in view of this problem.