We’ve all been down the WebMD rabbit hole before. You have a mild fever and a cough. Or perhaps a weird rash. So, you click on WebMD and search the symptoms. It’s a dangerous, dangerous game to play and almost always ends with you wanting to run to your closest hospital and beg the doctors to run every conceivable test because you’re convinced you have some incredibly rare form of cancer. But what if you actually do have some rare disease and there doesn’t seem to help anywhere? That’s the basis of the new Netflix doc series “Diagnosis.”
Based on the New York Times Magazine column by Dr. Lisa Sanders (who is featured throughout the series), “Diagnosis” follows the stories of various folks that are living with some rare illness or disease and have yet to find the answers they need to very basic questions such as “Why do I have this?” or “What, exactly, is this illness?” From a little girl that goes into full-on paralysis 300 times a day to a man that flatlines when he has Deja Vu, “Diagnosis” covers some of the rarest illnesses, without being some exploitative mess like many of these series tend to be.
Dr. Sanders profiles these unfortunate people and then uses the power of the internet to help crowdsource information or a true diagnosis for what’s going on. So yeah, it’s like the Netflix WebMD, but using the internet’s powers for good and not to scare hypochondriacs around the world.
“Diagnosis” will arrive on Netflix on August 16.
Here’s the synopsis:
Based on Dr. Lisa Sanders’ hugely popular column in The New York Times Magazine, Diagnosis follows a variety of patients on their respective journeys toward finding a diagnosis, and potentially a cure, for the mysterious illnesses they’re living with. By combining the power of global crowdsourcing, social media, and established medical expertise, each case is untangled with illuminating new insights that had previously eluded doctors. Executive produced by Scott Rudin Productions, Lightbox and The New York Times, Diagnosis explores the life-changing impact of receiving a diagnosis for individuals who’ve been searching for answers, and the healing that comes with connecting with others who can empathize with their experiences.