Part of the Black Mirror television series, White Bear gives a very interesting look at using technology in criminal punishment. The device used to punish the main character, Victoria, is memory-erasing. Because of the device she can't remember anything, not even who she is. As the episode progresses, Victoria is terrorized by "hunters" and is put in multiple life or death situations. At the climax of the situation, Victoria grabs a gun from one of the hunters and shoots him, only to find confetti and an audience in front of her. After more degrading torture she is taken to her "home" and has her memories erased. Although her memories are erased, does that mean the damage they caused is too?
Dissociative amnesia would be the side effect of the memory-erasing tool used on Victoria every night. It is common among victims of traumatic events and causes memories to be repressed deeply into the brain. It differs from amnesia in that it isn't caused by injury or sickness. The reason Victoria suffers from dissociative amnesia and not amnesia, despite showing pain during the memory-erasing process, is because of another key part of the disease: the memories can resurface by themselves or be triggered by one's surroundings.Throughout the episode, Victoria had multiple flashbacks of Jemima, Iain, and the woods itself. There is no doubt she has also suffered extreme trauma.
Victoria has been in the White Bear Justice Park for at least 18 days according the calendar on the wall. That's 18 days of constant trauma, constant stress, and constant fear. Although the memory of her trauma is repressed, the damage to her body is permanent, especially because of the repression. Because of chronic stress, her muscles are constantly tensed up to combat possible pain and injury. This is seen when she wakes up in the morning and painfully gets out of the chair she sat in. Her breathing is often hyperventilation, which, along with the stress, causes cardiovascular issues. With a consistently high heart rate, Victoria is at a much higher risk for hypertension, stroke, and heart attack.
As if that wasn't enough, her body's endocrine system has issues, if not already. With excess amounts of epinephrine and cortisol, her immune system health decreases and her blood sugar and blood pressure increase. Her stomach may start to develop ulcers, especially with all the unabsorbed acid from barely eating or drinking (that is shown on screen). Chronic stress, like what Victoria goes through, does not necessarily affect the nervous system, which is why she can still move day in and day out, but it does affect how well other body systems work. With all this constant stress, Victoria may not have much time left in White Bear Justice Park. Just because she can't remember her trauma doesn't mean her body forgets.
Victoria has been in the White Bear Justice Park for at least 18 days according the calendar on the wall. That's 18 days of constant trauma, constant stress, and constant fear. Although the memory of her trauma is repressed, the damage to her body is permanent, especially because of the repression. Because of chronic stress, her muscles are constantly tensed up to combat possible pain and injury. This is seen when she wakes up in the morning and painfully gets out of the chair she sat in. Her breathing is often hyperventilation, which, along with the stress, causes cardiovascular issues. With a consistently high heart rate, Victoria is at a much higher risk for hypertension, stroke, and heart attack.
As if that wasn't enough, her body's endocrine system has issues, if not already. With excess amounts of epinephrine and cortisol, her immune system health decreases and her blood sugar and blood pressure increase. Her stomach may start to develop ulcers, especially with all the unabsorbed acid from barely eating or drinking (that is shown on screen). Chronic stress, like what Victoria goes through, does not necessarily affect the nervous system, which is why she can still move day in and day out, but it does affect how well other body systems work. With all this constant stress, Victoria may not have much time left in White Bear Justice Park. Just because she can't remember her trauma doesn't mean her body forgets.
Citations:
1. "Mental Health and Dissociative Amnesia". WebMD, WebMD. www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-amnesia#1, accessed November 18, 2017.
2. "Stress Effects on the Body". Psychology Help Center, American Psychological Association. www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx, accessed November 18, 2017.
2. "Stress Effects on the Body". Psychology Help Center, American Psychological Association. www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx, accessed November 18, 2017.
2 comments:
It was so interesting to read about more specifics concerning Victoria's condition. In watching the film, I could not help but wonder how Victoria could undergo this day in and day out.
I thought while watching the film that her flashes of memory were more of a teaser to Victoria. They were a part of her punishment, specifically chosen by the facility. She was able to have just enough of her past life to a) make her continue on in this world (find her daughter) and b) mentally torture her with the memory she cannot have. Attributing these flashbacks to a medical condition makes more sense, but who knows what technological abilities Victoria's world has.
Megan, thank you for incorporating those facts. They are very interesting and really puts into perspective the true trauma she goes through in the show. It is so hard to believe something like this could happen in current times, but history has shown that similar things have existed. Under our current legal system, I do not believe something exactly like this could occur. However, I do find is scary that similar technologies exist or have the capabilities to exist in today's or the near future's world.
Post a Comment