Diagnosis Recap: Heart Versus Mind

By Daniel Hart
Published: August 16, 2019
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Netflix series Diagnosis Season 1, Episode 6 - Déjà Vu
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Summary

Diagnosis Season 1, Episode 6, “Déjà Vu” was a ‘heart versus mind’ conundrum of the Netflix series, dealing with a patient whose heart keeps stopping momentarily.

This recap of Netflix documentary series Diagnosis Season 1, Episode 6, “Déjà Vu” contains spoilers. You can read the recap of the previous episode by clicking these words.


Episode 6 introduces the audience to 20-year-old Matt lee, who frequently experiences fainting spells that stop his heart. Each time he has an episode, it’s preceded by déjà vu. In a strange statement, one of his déjà vu moments was seeing an episode of The Flintstones flashing before his eyes.

Matt Lee does not need crowdsourcing for a diagnosis as such, but more for support for him to overcome his issues. The clinic where he is examined provide similar prognoses and are wondering whether his condition is primarily linked to his heart or head.

Dr. Lisa Sanders breaks down the likely conditions in Episode 6; either Vasovagal Syncope or Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Unfortunately, the tests are all based on him having an episode, meaning results can be mistimed or take longer than a few trips to the clinic.

It is easy to get the sense that his relationship with his mother is frail in “Déjà Vu” — he refuses to let her accompany him to his appointments, and in one of the interviews, she has to leave the room. The crowdsourcing leads to another theory — that his condition is spurred on by an anxiety disorder.

Episode 6 unravels, looking into Matt’s childhood that digs into his relationship with his parents and pivotal moments when he was growing up that could have deeply traumatized him. It’s abundantly apparent that reliving his trauma, brought on by stress, could be causing the condition he is suffering from every week.

It’s hard not to feel sorry for Matt — he looks like a man lost with his feelings, zoned out in his cocoon of a muddled upbringing. “Déjà Vu” is not the most dramatic episode, but it’s undoubtedly important, raising awareness around anxiety disorders and how they can cause fatal conditions in the human body. Diagnosis Season 1, Episode 6, “Déjà Vu” was a learning exercise, showing how crowdsourcing can inject confidence in someone seeking help. In the end, counseling seems to have relieved his reoccurring symptoms while he finds a definite cure.


You can read the recap of the seventh and final episode by clicking these words.

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