This article contains mentions of human trafficking, suicide, and focuses heavily on mental illness. Material may not be suitable for all readers.
Five months ago, fans of Grey’s Anatomy sat, hearts shattered, after the shocking mid-season premiere of the longest-running television medical drama. Tears were shed as one of the show’s most beloved characters, Dr. Andrew Deluca, was pronounced dead at 22:50. The season 17 episode entitled, “Hopelessly Hoping,” was part two of an action packed crossover event with Station 19, following Deluca and his sister, Carina, as they chased down a human trafficker. Andrew died a hero, having exposed the trafficker, but ultimately dying from a stab wound. For many people, relief was felt in the fact Deluca’s story did not end with suicide. For others, disbelief and disappointment raged with the fact that show killed off a character written to give representation of a mental illness.
While Grey’s Anatomy has seen it’s fair share of characters with mental illness, Dr. Deluca, played by Italian- Canadian actor Giacomo Gianniotti, brought to television the struggles of bipolar disorder- a first for the show. Deluca first appeared at Grey Sloan Memorial at the end of season 11. In the years and seasons that would follow, fans saw Deluca thrive as a star intern, and work his way through residency. He began a relationship with Meredith Grey, saved fellow doctors Maggie Pierce and Jackson Avery from the stroke of death, and of course, saved countless other patients through medicine and surgery. Like many characters on the show, Andrew was faced with a myriad of struggles. First, his girlfriend, Sam Bello, voluntarily left the country to avoid being deported. Then, his father unexpectedly came into town, bringing in a ground breaking idea, but also showing manic symptoms of bipolar disorder. If that wasn’t enough, Deluca then went to jail, covering for fellow surgeon, and girlfriend, Meredith Grey. His mania symptoms came on slow. If not for his father’s known history of bipolar disorder, nobody would have questioned Deluca’s behavior. Carina noticed it first. Andrew’s persistent behavior in trying to find the diagnosis of patient Suzanne Britland’s medical mystery came across to many doctors as determination. To Carina, it meant something different. Deluca began mirroring his father’s mania symptoms. He began working relentlessly and recklessly. He was kicked off Suzanne’s case but continued working on it. He walked miles through a blizzard to retrieve a liver for a patient, and then tried to refuse treatment when he returned. All of these things were red blinking lights in Carina’s face, and his breakdown in the middle of the hospital confirmed this for her. Andrew was experiencing mania for the first time.
In the episodes that followed, Deluca was shown deep concern by his friends, family, and peers at the hospital, thus leading to an intervention. It was painful to watch. With tears streaming down his face he yelled, “I would give up every life I have ever saved if I could just not feel this way.” He explained, begging for everyone to understand, that his only goal in life was to not end up like his father. His confusion of not knowing what to do, being so scared of not being okay, is something that will forever resonate within people that struggle with mental illnesses of all sorts.
To be brutally honest, I resented Deluca with everything in me the first time I watched the show through. I later came to realize all that resentment and hate stemmed from the fact that we’re one in the same. We struggle with the same illness, the same fear that we’ll never be more than a label. The importance of Gianniotti’s character and the story told through Deluca cannot be understated. For me, Andrew was the first character I ever watched that I could relate to on that personal level. I have spent the last three years running from and ignoring my bipolar diagnosis, treating it as a kiss of death. Deluca worked through his symptoms and diagnosis. He saved people from and exposed a human trafficker. While his death was painful and unexpected, it was not his illness that killed him. After that realization, I began to feel less and less scared. I started doing more research and reading more about bipolar disorder. I started understanding instead of running, and all of this is credited to watching Deluca on Grey’s. The more I learned about the illness, the healthier I felt. Reading did not cure me, but it allowed me to sanely grasp more of what is happening in my brain. When it comes down to it, being able to see Deluca’s struggles and his journey to, and through, his diagnosis and breakdowns was one of the biggest pieces of help I have ever gotten. That is why with my whole heart, I believe more mental illnesses should be portrayed on television. People who struggle with their minds should be given the chance to connect with characters that understand them to a level no one else can. Dr. Deluca he helped me feel less alone in the past few months, and gave me peace of mind all because we’re both bipolar. I think everyone should be able to have that. Showcasing mental illnesses on T.V helps normalize the conversation, and has the potential to erase certain stigmas around mental health issues.
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