Medical Gaslighting - what is it and what can you do?

Have you ever felt your symptoms were inappropriately dismissed as minor or primarily psychological by a healthcare professional?

Have you visited a doctor with symptoms, and they immediately say everything is fine?

Have your concerns or symptoms been disregarded?

You are not alone.

This has been termed medical gaslighting and is a common issue in today’s day and age, whether it is to do with mental health or physical health; and to our great surprise, it occurs especially with women and people of colour.

Symptoms that may be non-specific, e.g., chronic fatigue, pain and discomfort, or those that are difficult to diagnose often go unnoticed or disregarded.

What is medical gaslighting?

  • Medical gaslighting is a term used to describe healthcare professionals who blame a patient’s illness or symptoms on psychological factors, without referring them for support, or disregard them completely.

  • It is a form of emotional abuse that makes you question what you believe and your perception of reality

  • Overtime, this manipulation can lead to self-doubt, low self-esteem, and reduced trust and confidence in the medical profession

  • The dismissive attitude towards symptoms can then lead you to doubt signals that your own body sends you

Medical gaslighting is not a new problem, although it may have been called by a different name, the invalidation, dismissal and disregard of individuals’ health, especially women, has been going on a long time (Dusenbery, 2018).

A study done in 2015 by Lichtman et al., interviewed 30 hospitalised women to explore their experiences with symptoms and their decision-making process to seek medical care. The study found that the lack of responsiveness of the healthcare system further complicated their situation and delayed both preventative and acute treatment.

When medical professionals mistakenly disregard or ignore a person’s symptoms, they delay the correct diagnosis, particularly of patients with rare disease who already wait an average of 4.8 years to be diagnosed (Evans, 2021).  

 

 How to spot medical gaslighting

  • Your complaints are dismissed as stress, anxiety, or depression—and your doctor is uninterested in investigating further or referring you.

  • You feel ignored or not taken seriously, or that they’re pushing their degree or expertise to prove you wrong or less-than.

  • Your 'gut feel' is that something isn't right, but your doctor tells you it’s all fine.

  • You feel talked down to or minimised, instead of engaged in a two-way conversation.

  • Your doctor isn’t willing to run more tests for you but won’t adequately explain why you don’t need them.

 

What should I do if I have experienced medical gaslighting?

  • Be firm and advocate for yourself

  • Emphasise these symptoms are not normal for you or that they are really impacting your life

  • Prioritise your concerns - focus on the most urgent concerns first

  • Ask for more tests or a referral to another specialist

  • Explain how, while you appreciate their expertise, you are the foremost expert on what’s going on with your own body and you know something isn't right and you'd like this investigated

  • Find healthcare professionals you bond with who are honest, direct and listen when you speak

  • Get a second opinion when needed

  • Speak to friends and family

However, it is important to remember that addressing medical gaslighting will take more than everyone confronting their own medical professional. Hence, hospitals are investing more resources in training about biases, gaslighting and empowering patients to advocate for themselves in medical settings.

 

References

Dusenbery, M., 2018. Doing harm: The truth about how bad medicine and lazy science leave women dismissed, misdiagnosed, and sick. HarperCollins.

Evans, W.R., 2021. Dare to think rare. Diagnostic delay and rare diseases.

Lichtman, J.H., Leifheit-Limson, E.C., Watanabe, E., Allen, N.B., Garavalia, B., Garavalia, L.S., Spertus, J.A., Krumholz, H.M. and Curry, L.A., 2015. Symptom recognition and healthcare experiences of young women with acute myocardial infarction. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 8(2_suppl_1), pp.S31-S38.

Clemmie Macpherson