Open Letter Claims Netflix’s ‘Afflicted’ Mislead Subjects, Misrepresents Chronic Illness

Netflix is home to many documentaries and original series about horrific medical experiences and mysterious ailments, but one is causing way more of an uproar–and real world pain, according to some–than the rest. The Netflix docu-series Afflicted has emerged as the most controversial of the bunch since Season 1’s release in August, inspiring a number of op-eds claiming that the show’s depiction of chronic illness harmful.
Now, a group of writers, activists, artists, filmmakers, physicians, patients and scientists have banded together to pen an open letter posted on Medium and launch a #MeAction petition.
The open letter was published on September 17 and signed by over 40 people–including Lena Dunham, Monica Lewinsky, and Ally Hilfiger. In it, the signees claim that the subjects featured on the show were treated unethically, were mislead, and the victim of factual errors and omissions that presented them as having psychological issues.
The letter reads: “[R]ather than authentically depict these participants’ experiences and the biomedical research that might explain their illnesses, Afflicted used every creative tool and untenable journalistic practice to advance a narrative that suggests these patients’ problems are primarily psychological, a theory that is not supported by the evidence.”
The subjects say that was a misrepresentation, as they were told beforehand that their illnesses would not be presented as psychological. The letter also alleges that some subjects were sent to questionable medical practitioners and were made to undergo unnecessary procedures. The letter also claims that while some of the participants had sought psychological help, they were depicted as if they had turned it down.

Additionally, the open letter says the documentarians left out critical laboratory and research findings, and also edited out research scientists who backed up the subjects’ claims

“The inclusion of people with disabilities in the telling of their own stories is essential to the creation of compelling, ethical, authentic cinema,” reads another part of the letter. “Netflix has been an important platform for this conversation with programs such as The Punk Rock Singer, My Beautiful, Broken Brain, To The Bone, and Unrest. Yet Afflicted was helmed by apparently able-bodied people, and displayed the disabled as curiosities for the entertainment of others.”
The open letter and petition are asking for Afflicted to be removed from the service and for a formal apology to be issued.

UPDATE: Netflix has provided Decider with a statement from Dan Partland, president of Doc Shop Productions and executive producer of Afflicted.

We are saddened and upset by some of the reaction to the series. Our intention was to give the world a compassionate window into the difficulties of patients and families suffering from elusive and misunderstood illnesses, to humanize their struggle, and to show that struggle in all its complexity.
The participants in Afflicted showed incredible courage in sharing their stories and we respect the thoughtfulness with which they have entered the online discussion, even when they have been critical of us. The conditions they, and others, are suffering from are real and deserve more attention and a more thoughtful discussion.
It’s heartbreaking that many of the participants are experiencing abuse on social media. There are no villains in these stories; the patients just want to get well, the loved ones just want to support them, and the doctors just want to help; and they all deserve our compassion.

Stream Afflicted on Netflix