The Good Doctor
 

Re: The Good Doctor
 

hey there Essa,

I totally feel you on that. There are now more opportunities for people with autism, we see them going to college, getting jobs and if not, they're in programs to help them achieve goals.

Not too long ago though, people with psychiatric and/or developmental disabilities were being locked up in institutions. Even now, people with disabilities are discriminated against and if encountered by police or are in a hospital if can be very scary because they're more likely to be restrained or dealt with violently.

As for a TV show with a doctor with autism, I don't know what the reason of portraying it this way is behind it. But maybe look up online to learn more about the history of the development of this character. It would be interesting if the person who made this character's story took details from personal experience or someone they know. It isn't unheard of.

Some people will say they've never had that bad of experiences with health professionals and some people will say many doctors they've met traumatized them in one way of another. And still others, will say they've had mixed experiences. That's from the patient perspective. I don't know how it is when doctors are your colleagues and you're working side by side them. I can imagine there really is stigma. To what extent of the stigma would vary.

I suppose it is similar with people with autism. It also depends on different factors like some fields are more accepting of disabilities than others. It depends if they've grew up being hurt and isolated and then ended up in a similar position as an adult. Because often times we encounter repeated experiences. A person with mostly good experiences might know how to cope with discrimination when they do encounter it and know to leave the situation. On the other hand, dealing with it for the first time can mean the person doesn't know what to do. A person having dealt with discrimination, bullying or harassment their whole childhood due to their disability might have either gained a stronger sense of wanting to fight oppression or they might have developed a learned helplessness or even a combination.

I haven't watched the show. What us odd is that if the doctor is practicing well as a doctor, it is strange that a job with high reputation, he is being treated this way. But then again, doctors are known historically to have done some terrible things on people of different oppressed groups in society and eugenics and experiments on people with autism were done by so called doctors.

Who knows....
I understand if you find the show to be inaccurate. But I would be curious if this really IS someone's story

Re: The Good Doctor