** CONTAINS SPOILERS **
When I first saw that Netflix debuted a docuseries on Chronic Illness, I was ecstatic. I have a Chronic Illness, so “Afflicted” could shed so much light on my daily struggles!! However, after finishing the 7 episodes I was left frustrated. The series starts out pretty interesting and relatable. I even told a few of my friends to check it out (sorry about that, guys.) We meet Bekah and Star. Bekah’s brother uproots his life to support her and Star has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease (and like 11 other diseases). Their stories resonated with me even when I had never heard of some of their “afflictions”.
But then things start to become detrimental to our community. Jake’s dad wants to pick him up and throw him in a pool because he thinks his son is over exaggerating (like seriously, what will this accomplish?). A Doctor says that Pilar is only sick because she wants out of her marriage and so on. The tone switches from focusing on their health journeys to their families, friends, and Doctors telling them they are crazy, that it is all in their heads, that their symptoms are not real. We have all heard these things ourselves. Thank you South Park for convincing my guy friends that Celiac Disease is not real. There is nothing worse than having our very real issues be shut down by the people we love and trust. This is harmful for the Chronic Illness community because it perpetuates the idea that we aren’t actually sick. Especially for those of us that suffer from invisible illnesses and don’t fit the mold of what a sick person should look like.
The series, as a whole, lacks any kind of hard science. Vague descriptions of illnesses like Lyme are given but no numbers on the prevalence or information on the traditional treatment plans for each illness. The docuseries focuses a lot on the mental health of each patient making it seem that their physical illnesses are spurring from mental illnesses. For me and my illness, my mental health deteriorated because of my physical illness; I was not mentally ill and then became physically sick. Mental Illness and Chronic Illness often coincide but “Afflicted” spreads a false narrative on how the two are connected. Additionally, there is a lot of talk about alternative medicine and treatment options which are costly and come with with explanations like “some believe LED light treatment reduce inflammation and pain”. But who are these people and where is the science? Many of us have been failed by Western Medicine, myself included. And I have sought alternative treatment options that I paid far too much for with little to no relief. It is not to say that Eastern and alternative medicine cannot give relief, but it is dangerous to be promoting these costly treatments when the results are not yet accounted for.
Some Good?? in a Sea of Bad
Episode 5 discusses the costs associated with Chronic Illness. This really sheds light on how our community is preyed upon by “alternative” treatments that, like I mentioned before, cost an arm and a leg and are not rooted in science. The final episode titled “Well” has some pretty empowering moments mixed with more bullshit. I was extremely proud of Bekah for not taking the free treatment because she did the research and she did not trust the science. Instead, she made a choice to get a safe and more stable home to live in to help with her illnesses.
The people in the series who are suffering from Chronic Illnesses gave their definitions of wellness and good health, and it was one of the most important parts of the whole series. For many of us, wellness doesn’t mean being 100% okay, it just means being better than we were before.
“My idea of wellness is different than an able-bodied person who hasn’t been sick they way I have” -Bekah
“Health is being well enough that you can do stuff and not think about it” -Jill
“To be free of the pain and free of the fatigue” -Star
“Preserving the health that I have regained” -Jamison
“Being able to hold down a job” -Carmen
“Doing the things I didn’t realize I was missing before, that is what wellness would be to me to be cured” -Jake
If you have already seen the series, I challenge you to think harder about the implications of series that use the human condition as entertainment and to spread false information. If you haven’t seen it, watch at your own risk, especially if you suffer from Chronic Illness as it can bring up traumatizing moments from your past or present health journeys.