The Pitt highlights what it’s like to practice medicine when not ‘neurotypical’
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In the United States, about 20% of people are neurodivergent. Addressing patients’ unique needs is more than good bedside manner; it creates a level of trust that helps us be better physicians.
—Brintha Vasagar, MD
Showcasing the diversity of real people and their nuanced behaviors benefits us all.
—Brintha Vasagar, MD
It’s just after 1 pm, and a table tennis player named Terrance has entered a busy emergency department with an injured ankle.
Initially, Terrance is met with dismissive attitudes from a physician on duty.
Then, another physician notices that Terrance may likely be on the autism spectrum and overwhelmed by the hubbub of the emergency department. The physician dims the lights in his room and closes the door to block out noise.
The hospital? The fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. The physician? Fan favorite Dr. Mel King from the smash hit TV series The Pitt.
The television drama, now in its second season, has been praised for its realistic depictions of life in the emergency department and of neurodiverse characters. Dr. King explains that she has an autistic sister, and while never explicitly confirmed, Dr. King herself also presents with neurodiverse qualities.
Related: Is this season of 'The Pitt' foreshadowing the continued breakdown of medicine in the US?Neurodiverse representation
The representation of neurodiverse characters on both the patient and physician side is important, experts say.
“Showcasing the diversity of real people and their nuanced behaviors benefits us all. The Pitt does an excellent job of not making neurodivergence the whole personality of the character, but rather one aspect of a mutifaceted person. This sort of representation cultivates empathy and encourages human connection,” Brintha Vasagar, MD, a family physician, tells MDLinx.
April is Autism Awareness Month, and The Pitt is just one of many television programs that highlight the experience of neurodivergent people. The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Atypical, and The Good Doctor are other hit TV series that feature neurodivergent characters and experiences.
Viewers of The Pitt have responded positively to the experiences of Dr. Mel King, who balances her obligations toward her autistic sister with her own experiences in the emergency department.
Bedside manner
Dr. King demonstrates a keen understanding of the experiences of her neurodivergent patients.
When helping table tennis player Terrance, Dr. King listens intently, uses a model of a foot to explain his injury, and asks him questions about the upcoming table tennis competition he worries he might miss.
Building such trust with patients, experts say, is key to being a good physician.
“In the United States, about 20% of people are neurodivergent," Dr. Vasagar says. "Addressing patients’ unique needs is more than good bedside manner; it creates a level of trust that helps us be better physicians.”
Dr. King’s experience is just one of many storylines that have been praised by physicians and the public alike.
For David Cutler, MD, board-certified family medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, the realistic storylines are a strength of the series.
“It is medically realistic in terms of the health problems presented, the treatments administered, and the health system issues confronted,” he says.