Although fibromyalgia is estimated to affect 10 million Americans and three to six percent of the global population, it is rare to see the illness featured in popular media. Unfortunately, there are still many people (medical professionals included) who donât believe fibromyalgia is a ârealâ illness, or perhaps think itâs just a âcatch-allâ diagnosis for when nothing else seems to be wrong. There is also a great deal of misinformation about what fibro is and how it affects people, which can lead to hurtful judgments.
Featuring fibromyalgia on TV shows can be a great way to increase recognition and raise awareness of the disease â when itâs represented accurately. We asked the Mighty community which shows have depicted fibromyalgia, and what they thought of the portrayal. Hopefully, more television shows will shed a light on the reality of the illness to promote a better understanding of those affected by fibro.
1. âHouseâ
In the pilot episode of âHouseâ (season one, episode one), Dr. Gregory House meets a patient in the clinic who believes he has either fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. House brushes off the patientâs concerns as the result of aging. He replaces the pills in a bottle of Vicodin with mints, which he then gives to the patient as a placebo. House keeps the Vicodin for himself, and the patient later returns for a refill of âVicodin.â
âOn âHouse,â a patient came into the clinic complaining of fatigue and tiredness and said it might be fibromyalgia. House, annoyed, prescribes him eight hours of sleep and dismisses him,â Marck Andrew Calaway explained. âThatâs the only time I think Iâve seen a portrayal of fibro in the wild.â
Zee De Beer wrote, âIt was the first episode, and probably intended to show how much of an ass House is. It also honestly reflects many doctorsâ attitudes toward conditions like fibro which canât be detected on tests and people who read too much WebMD. Letâs face it, fibro is a controversial diagnosis because itâs viewed as a catch-all for unexplainable symptoms. I watched that episode the other day and I actually laughed when he gave him sweets instead of actual meds and the guy comes back for a refill. It mocks the placebo effect and quite frankly reflects my personal experience with doctors who donât consider it real. âHere take some paracetamol and ibuprofen and⊠good luck?â You may as well give me sweets, they taste better.â
âI heard a lot about fibromyalgia on âHouse.â I loved the show to that point, but hearing House degrade fibromyalgia sufferers and insist that my pain is made up⊠Honestly, it destroyed me. It is awful to know that so many people actually believe that fibromyalgia is a lie even though it is an official ICD classified disease,â Mikki Ingram told us.
2. âHaters Back Offâ
The Netflix series âHaters Back Offâ featured a character who claimed to have âundiagnosed fibromyalgia.â Mirandaâs mom, Bethany (Angela Kinsey), frequently tells people she has undiagnosed fibromyalgia, wears wrist braces (despite the fact that fibromyalgia generally includes all-over body pain), talks about having fibromyalgia so she doesnât have to lift heavy boxes at work, and gets sympathy from the man sheâs dating due to her condition. Ultimately, though, Bethany reveals she has a kidney condition.
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Maria Tydd said, âThe only time Iâve ever seen fibro portrayed aside from âHouseâ is in âHaters Back Offâ where her arm brace-wearing mom tells everyone about her âundiagnosed fibromyalgiaâ and itâs kind of used as a shorthand for the fact that sheâs lazy and/or a hypochondriac. She was later found to have something like kidney disease for an emotional effect like âoh, itâs OK guys, she has a real illness, you can all feel sorry for her now.â I enjoyed the show, I just donât like real illnesses being used as a byword for âthis person isnât really ill so they made an illness up.ââ
âFibromyalgia is featured on the TV show âHaters Back Off!â The mom says she has it, acting as every little thing hurts her, but it is obvious sheâs a hypochondriac (it says so in the character description). Itâs horrible to use fibromyalgia for this because we are constantly considered hypochondriacs when we are seriously in pain,â wrote Danielle Petilli.
3. âThe Healerâ
The TLC show âThe Healerâ features âenergy healerâ Charlie Goldsmith and chronicles his efforts to treat patients living with chronic conditions. In episode two of the first season, Goldsmith visits âReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsâ star Kyle Richards who is seeking alternative treatment for her fibromyalgia. He asked Richards to close her eyes while he focused his energy on her biggest pain spots, her neck, and shoulders. Richards said she felt a warm, tingling sensation going through that area.
4. âCriminal Mindsâ
In season 10, episode four of âCriminal Minds,â the Behavioral Analysis Unit is searching for a suspect they believe to have delusional parasitosis, which causes him to believe he is infested by bugs. The team hypothesizes that the suspect spends time around others who support and believe him, rather than dismiss his concerns as âall in the head,â so Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) asks their technical analyst, Penelope Garcia, to check for local support groups for âdebated and controversial diseases.â He then specifies fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, recurrent Lyme disease, and Morgellons.
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Arria Deepwater explained, âOnce an episode of Criminal Minds was focusing on a real psychological disorder, delusional parasitosis. While referring to it, one of the lead characters lumped it in with âother controversial or delusional diseasesâ like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and recurrent Lyme disease. In fact, every time I ever hear CFS referred to in the news it is tagged with the label âcontroversial diagnosis.ââ
5. âiZombieâ
In the first episode of the second season, âGrumpy Old Liv,â Liv Moore (Rose McIver) and her friend Ravi, a medical examiner, investigate the death of a 77-year-old man named Wendell Gale. At the crime scene, Wendellâs sister-in-law arrives and reveals that Wendell was not well-liked in the community, as he had been a âcantankerous son of a b*tch for the last 30 years.â Liv asks what happened 30 years ago, and the sister-in-law explains that was when the fibromyalgia set in. âHe went on disability, became embittered. His wife left him, took the two kids with her,â she says.
âiZombie showed a really old cranky man with fibromyalgia who constantly yelled at young people and was racist due to his condition and had isolated himself from the world in contempt and lived in squalor,â said ZoĂ« Peat. âTo say the least I was a little upset as Iâm 19 years old, and not a hermit who hates people. Yes, I cannot do as much as other people or go out as much but Iâm not like how they portrayed him.â
6. âThe Dr. Oz Showâ
In a December 2015 episode called âPain Pain Go Away: Do You Have Fibromyalgia,â Dr. Oz speaks with Dr. Jennifer Caudle, a physician who had been treating fibromyalgia patients for nearly 10 years. In one segment, Dr. Caudle explains how everyday pain or exhaustion is different than fibromyalgia. She describes the constellation of symptoms a person with fibromyalgia may experience, including widespread pain, fatigue, and brain fog, and how doctors believe fibro pain is a result of âabnormal pain processing.â
In a second segment, Dr. Oz and Dr. Caudle share an at-home questionnaire you can use to get an idea of whether you might have fibromyalgia. There are two questions: 1) the number of pain points you have and 2) if you have overlapping symptoms. Dr. Caudle goes on to describe several of the treatments available for fibromyalgia, including FDA-approved medications and lifestyle changes.
7. âGleeâ
In season two, episode 11 of âGlee,â Coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) is planning out the routine her cheerleaders (âSueâs Cheeriosâ) will do for the regional cheerleading competition. She wants to fire one of the cheerleaders, Brittany, out of a cannon but needs her to sign a consent form. Coach Sylvester pressures her into doing so by asking her to remember that the cannon has âtwo little baby twin cannons at home and one more on the way. And if you refuse to sign this, well, those little baby cannons might just go hungry. And the momma cannon, she has fibromyalgia so she canât work. Do you want us to win, or donât you?â Brittany proceeds to sign the contract.
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8. âThis Morningâ
Jade Smith is a woman with fibromyalgia who cosplays as a china doll to cope with her fibromyalgia pain. She was interviewed on âThis Morningâ where she explained that she was diagnosed at age 5, then began dressing as a doll at age 11 after discovering the trend at an anime cosplay convention. âIt makes me feel happy and helps distract me when Iâm in pain,â Smith said. âItâs a really good relief because thereâs no cure and most pain medications donât work for it. My only hope is that they find a cure eventually.â
Kelly Wilkins told us, âI saw an interview with a woman on the daytime TV show âThis Morning.â She dressed in doll-like clothing to take her mind off her pain. While I completely get that sheâs found her comfort in dressing up, I found that the interview didnât cover the illness properly and many assumptions were made. It also felt like it was trivialized a bit.â
Contributor Sophia Dayne-Eccleston also wrote a powerful essay addressing those who judge Smith for cosplaying. âI know what some people may be thinking,â she says. âWith so much pain, a fibro patient shouldnât be able to do all this, right? That simply isnât true. Yes, dressing up is painful and yes it is fatiguing. But it can give us something infinitely precious: The will to keep fighting and keep hoping.â
9. âFace Offâ
Nicole Chilelli has fibromyalgia and was the season three winner of âFace Off,â a SyFy show where special effects makeup artists compete to win a grand prize. She was open about her illness on the show and hoped to use her cash prize to help care for her mother, who also has fibromyalgia. In an interview with The Fibro Show, Chilelli said that doing makeup helps distract her and takes her out of the mental state of thinking about what her body is doing. She gets so fully involved in the creative process that she doesnât focus as much on the pain.
âThere was a season of âFace Offâ a few years ago where the girl who won the competition talked about her fibromyalgia,â said Shani Bane. âIt was so refreshing to see that as a younger person.â
10. âDr. Philâ
In a March 2014 episode, Dr. Phil shares the story of Crystal â a woman with fibromyalgia who struggles with chronic pain and fatigue and is experiencing marital issues as a result. âI donât feel like Iâm really living. I feel like Iâm existing,â Crystal says. Dr. Phil also speaks with Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, the Chief Medical Officer of Pfizer, who talks about the symptoms of fibro and offers tips to families of those with the condition.
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