Introduction: The portrayal of neurological disability and deficiency on television has not always been approached in the same way, but has instead tended to reflect the standpoint taken by society with regard to these issues and how they are dealt with according to the prevailing conceptions and values at each particular time.
Aims: To address the appearance of neurological pathologies in television series and to ponder on the image they have in such contexts.
Development: Deficiency and disability of neurological origin have often been depicted on television in series, telefilms and documentaries, and in a wide variety of ways. Here we examine different television series and how they have dealt with neurological pathology, its diagnosis and its treatment, as well as the figure of the healthcare professional and social-familial adaptation. Examples cited include series such as House MD, Glee, American Horror Story, Homeland or Game of Thrones.
Conclusions: Television series are a useful tool for making some neurological pathologies better known to the public and for dispelling the myths surrounding others, provided that the pathologies are dealt with in a realistic manner, which is not always the case. More care should be taken with regard to the way in which health professionals are portrayed in television series, as it is not always done correctly and may mislead viewers, who take what they see on the TV as being real.
Title: Deficiencia, discapacidad, neurologia y series de television.
Introduccion. El enfoque de la deficiencia y la discapacidad neurologica en la television no ha sido algo univoco, sino que ha reflejado la postura de la sociedad ante estas cuestiones y como se tratan estas, desde la optica de las concepciones y valores dominantes en cada momento. Objetivos. Abordar la aparicion de la patologia neurologica en las series de television y reflexionar sobre su imagen en dicho contexto. Desarrollo. La deficiencia y la discapacidad de origen neurologico se han reflejado ampliamente en el medio televisivo en series, telefilmes y documentales, con un tratamiento desigual. Se aborda el enfoque que ha tenido en diferentes series televisivas la patologia neurologica, su diagnostico, su tratamiento, asi como la figura de los profesionales sanitarios y la adaptacion sociofamiliar, y se citan, a modo de ejemplo, series como House, Glee, American Horror Story, Homeland o Juego de tronos. Conclusiones. Las series de television son una herramienta util para dar a conocer algunas patologias neurologicas y para desmitificar otras, siempre que dichas patologias se aborden de manera realista, hecho que no siempre ocurre. Habria que cuidar el tratamiento que reciben los profesionales de la salud en las series de television, pues no siempre es correcto, y eso puede llevar a errores entre los telespectadores, que aceptan lo que ven en la pequeña pantalla como real.