Does the portrayal of medical issues in popular media improve your understanding of pharmaceutical treatment options?

By Martin Palin

Can you learn anything about psychedelic-assisted therapy from a fictional TV series? It depends.

The inclusion of psychedelic assisted therapy is the quirky element that makes Prime Video series “Nine Perfect Strangers” work (or not work depending on your view of the series). Nicole Kidman’s character “Masha” is the mastermind therapist using psychedelic micro-dosing to either help her clients or attract investors, depending on which episode you’re watching.

But don’t expect to learn too much about the real-life potential of psychedelic assisted therapy by watching the sweeping dramatic plot twists produced by the amazing David E Kelley.  Psychedelics are a dramatic device to enliven the plot in this series rather than a subject of serious consumer education.

I find dramatisations of real-life stories are typically closer to the mark.

For example, the story of Oxycontin in the USA, told through the experiences of the Sackler family and Purdue Pharmaceuticals in the amazing series PainKiller on Netflix is a cracker.

Matthew Broderick plays Richard Sackler, who is the billionaire head of the family and senior executive at Purdue. It’s a story about the devastating implications when profit without principles becomes the driving force behind a major pharmaceutical company that has a patent on a highly addictive opioid.

If you really want the full picture of Purdue, (with the back story about the Sacklers’ dual interest in opioids AND medical PR), then I think you’ve got to go for the full non-fiction treatment. Patrick Radden Keefe has written amazing non-fiction books on subjects like the Irish Republican Army but his treatment of the Sackler story (Empire of Pain) is an incredible page turner where you find yourself muttering “no way..” at the end of each section.

People with an interest in health-focused advertising and PR get a sneaky look at the dubious origins of pharmaceutical marketing thrown in as part of the story.

Empire of Pain - Patrick Radden Keefe

Deep understandings of popular culture come from well-researched non-fiction accounts of trends and history. You can’t work out who was responsible for assassinating John F Kennedy by watching an Oliver Stone film or get a feel for the real-life attitudes of enslaved people by watching Gone with the Wind. Similarly, you can’t get a feel for the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy by streaming a fictional TV show. No matter how much you love Nicole Kidman.

So that’s my tip for using popular culture for understanding medicine and therapies in this post-truth world. Non-fiction with a trusted author (or professional historian) first, then perhaps dramatisations based on real life.

As they say, truth is stranger than fiction. Which is why great non-fiction stories meticulously researched and well told can keep you turning that page. And increasing your knowledge of the health-related world as you go.