WHEN HELP TURNS TO HARM

COMPLICATED tells the untold stories of children suffering from complex, invisible illness, marginalized by a medical system that fails to provide the care they desperately need. Shuffled between specialists, misdiagnosed, and often labeled with psychological disorders, these young patients fight for validation, respect and normalcy. The film exposes a dark side of pediatric medicine, where parents pushing for answers risk being accused of medically harming their children and even losing custody.

Filmed over seven years, this unflinching documentary explores the complicated journeys of young people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a little-known connective tissue disorder that is far more common than most realize. Ranging from mild to life-threatening, EDS is often invisible, and the lack of research and awareness leads to medical gaslighting, where treatments are withheld, insurance is denied, and families are torn apart.

In a healthcare system under intense scrutiny, COMPLICATED pulls back the curtain on a hidden world of suffering and resilience. It highlights courageous young people fighting for their lives, mothers risking everything to protect them, and a system that too often turns a blind eye. Amid this struggle, a spark of hope emerges—as patients become their own advocates, researching potential tests and treatments that could change their lives, and possibly the future of medicine.
(2025, 85 min.)

Producer/Director/DP
Andrew Abrahams

Co-Producer
Donna Sullivan

Editor
Alex Albers

Executive Producers
Tracy Finnegan
Charlotte Deering McCormick

Official Selection
Slamdance Film Festival

Winner, Remi Award
Worldfest-Houston Int’l Film Festival

Official Selection
Ojai Film Festival

Film Overview:

COMPLICATED sheds light on the hidden struggles of children suffering from complex, invisible illnesses, like Ehler's-Danlos syndrome. The film follows their journey through a healthcare system that fails to properly diagnose, treat, or support them. These young patients often face the added challenges of being misdiagnosed, psychologically labelled and stigmatized, with a growing number of parents finding themselves being accused of medical child abuse when trying to advocate for their sick child. By documenting these personal real-life experiences, COMPLICATED uncovers a broken medical and child protection system that leaves children in chronic pain and distress while shining a spotlight on the strength and resilience of families as they advocate for better care.

Why This Film is Important:

1. Raises Awareness of Invisible Illnesses: The conditions highlighted in COMPLICATED are under-researched and often invisible. Illnesses like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) frequently go undiagnosed, leaving young patients and their families without support. By sharing these surprising untold stories, the film brings these invisible diseases into the public eye, creating a conversation about the need for better understanding, diagnosis, and treatment.

2. Highlights the Failure of the Healthcare System: COMPLICATED exposes the critical flaws of a medical system that often overlooks complex and invisible illnesses like Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Dysautonomia. Overburdened doctors lack the time and resources to properly diagnose and treat nuanced cases, leading to misdiagnosis, dismissal, and medical gaslighting. Patients are left to navigate a fractured system, often paying out of pocket and traveling long distances for care. The film calls for urgent reform to address these systemic failures and better support those with misunderstood and marginalized conditions.

3. Reveals Sexism in Medicine: COMPLICATED also highlights the gendered aspect of medical care, where women, particularly girls, are less likely to be believed when they present with complex or invisible illnesses. Often dismissed as "hysterical" or "over-exaggerating," women’s pain is more frequently misunderstood or ignored in medical settings. The film calls attention to the need for better recognition of how sexism plays a role in medical gaslighting and the unequal treatment that women, especially young girls, often face.

4. Calls Attention to Flaws in Child Protection: COMPLICATED reveals serious problems within the child protection system, where families of medically complex children are often misjudged and falsely accused. Child abuse pediatricians, who frequently lack training in rare diseases, may misinterpret medical complexity as evidence of abuse or neglect. Instead of relying on objective, evidence-based standards like the DSM-5, these evaluations often involve psychological profiling and subjective bias. This undermines medical objectivity and leads to devastating consequences for families. There is no clear oversight of child abuse pediatrician accusations, no standardized review process, and no meaningful way for families to challenge these claims. The film exposes this dangerous power dynamic—where doctors are rarely questioned—and calls for urgent reforms to protect families from unjust and traumatizing interventions.

5. Exposes the Legal System’s Struggles with Complex Cases: The film also sheds light on how the legal system is not built to accommodate the complexities of medical child abuse cases in our court systems. Parents advocating for their children’s medical care often risk being falsely accused of abuse or neglect. Child protective systems are ill-equipped to properly handle these cases, which can result in families being torn apart, causing long-term emotional and financial damage. By highlighting this issue, COMPLICATED calls for a more informed and compassionate approach from both the legal and medical systems when it comes to complex cases.

6. Highlights Access-to-Care Issues for Marginalized Groups: COMPLICATED highlights how marginalized groups—particularly low-income families, people of color, and those in rural areas—face additional barriers to accessing proper care for complex, invisible illnesses. These communities often have limited access to specialized doctors, medical treatments, and necessary diagnostics. The film calls for policy changes that will ensure equitable access to healthcare for all, regardless of socioeconomic status or geographic location.

7. Shows How Restrictions on Painkillers Affect the Community: The film also addresses the adverse effects that recent restrictions on painkillers are having on individuals with chronic conditions, particularly those with complex, invisible illnesses like EDS. Patients already suffering from misunderstood or undiagnosed diseases often face additional obstacles when seeking relief from chronic pain due to stricter regulations on pain management. These restrictions, while intended to prevent opioid abuse, are inadvertently denying essential care to patients who need it most. COMPLICATED advocates for a more balanced approach to pain management that takes into account the unique needs of chronic pain sufferers.

8. Shows the Empowerment of Families and Advocates: The film also underscores the incredible courage of parents who fight for their children's well-being and the empowerment of young patients who take control of their health journey. As these patients become their own advocates, they form networks with other sufferers, find underground care providers willing to help, and, in some cases, take on the research that could lead to breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment. COMPLICATED serves as an inspiration for others in similar situations to take action, do their own research, and challenge a medical system that has failed them.

How PartnerSHIPS Can Bring About Change:

1. Host Screenings to Spark Dialogue: By partnering with community-based organizations and medical groups, COMPLICATED can be shown in various communities, including hospitals, medical schools, support groups, and advocacy organizations. Screenings offer an opportunity to open discussions about the struggles of patients with complex, invisible illnesses. These conversations can lead to greater empathy and understanding among healthcare professionals, patients, and families, as well as help combat stigma.

2. Collaborate with Advocacy Groups: Partnering with organizations that support patients with rare diseases or those suffering from medical gaslighting can help amplify the film’s message. Advocacy groups can use COMPLICATED to educate their communities, host fundraising events, or raise awareness for the need for more research and better healthcare practices. By working together, the film can serve as both an educational tool and a rallying cry for policy change.

3. Host Panel Discussions with Medical Experts and Filmmakers: After screenings, medical experts or filmmakers can lead discussions to address the issues that the film exposes. Medical groups and institutions can use the film as a catalyst for internal reflection, asking how they can better support patients with complex conditions. These panels can also serve as a space to discuss potential solutions, such as improved training on complex diseases, better patient advocacy, and how to prevent medical gaslighting. COMPLICATED can also be part of medical education trainings, CME’s and webinars to teach important updates about EDS, dysautonomia, connective tissue disease and complex PTSD.  

4. Create a Platform for Personal Stories: Screenings can be paired with an online platform where patients and families can share their own stories. By connecting real-life experiences with the content of the film, the screening events can foster a sense of community and provide support for those who may feel isolated. This platform can also give a voice to patients who are often overlooked, enabling them to raise awareness and advocate for their own needs.

5. Inspire Policy Change: Hosting screenings at medical conferences, in hospitals universities, or in legislative settings can provide a unique opportunity to directly engage policymakers. By exposing them to the realities of medical gaslighting and the difficulties families face, COMPLICATED can push for healthcare reform. These screenings could also serve as a launching point for campaigns advocating for better research funding, improved diagnostic tools, and more comprehensive patient care practices for those with rare diseases.

Expected Outcomes:

• Increased Awareness: COMPLICATED will bring widespread attention to the realities of living with EDS and other invisible illnesses, leading to more informed healthcare professionals, better understanding from the public, and greater empathy for patients and families. This increased awareness will include recognizing and addressing gender biases in medical treatment, ensuring that female patients and parents receive more equitable and compassionate care.

• Empowered Families and Advocates: Families will feel less isolated, empowered by the stories shared in the film, and more likely to advocate for change within their communities and healthcare systems.

• Medical System Reform: By raising awareness among healthcare providers and policymakers, the film can serve as a catalyst for reform in how rare and complex diseases are approached, diagnosed, and treated. This includes improving access to specialized healthcare for underserved populations, such as low-income families, rural patients, and people of color, and advocating for balanced, patient-centered pain management policies that ensure legitimate chronic pain sufferers receive appropriate relief.

• Stronger Community Networks: Partnerships with advocacy organizations, medical groups, and patient support networks will help build a stronger, united community of people fighting for recognition and proper care.

• Child Protection and Legal System Reform: By drawing attention to how the legal system fails to accommodate complex medical and child protection cases, COMPLICATED can inspire reforms to ensure that families and children receive the support and understanding they need without the threat of unjust legal action.

Conclusion:

By partnering with community-based organizations and medical groups to host screenings, COMPLICATED can spark crucial conversations, drive change in medical practices, and bring hope to those who are often overlooked in the healthcare system. This collaborative effort can ensure that these unseen struggles are heard, and pave the way for a more supportive, informed, and compassionate approach to complex, invisible illnesses and the affected families caught in the crossfire.

Funding and Sustainability

Help us make a difference with a contribution to support the COMPLICATED impact campaign. Your tax-deductible contribution will support:

• Awards submissions & campaigns (including Oscars!)

• Development of educational materials

• Educational screenings implementation

• Digital platform development and maintenance

• Social media dissemination

• Policy reform initiatives