What Is Medical Gaslighting?

3 min read

If you have ever felt dismissed by a doctor, you may have experienced a type of bias (prejudice) called medical gaslighting. Medical gaslighting can happen to anyone, but it most often happens to people in economically or socially disadvantaged groups. It can lead to missed, delayed, or incorrect diagnosis of an illness.

What is gaslighting?

The term "gaslighting" comes from a play-turned-movie called Gaslight about a husband's attempt to convince his wife that she is insane. He does this, in part, by dimming their gas-powered lights and then denying it. Today, gaslighting is a term for mental abuse. It is when a person in power manipulates someone else into doubting their own judgment.^1,2

Gaslighting in the medical field

When doctors minimize or dismiss someone's health symptoms, it is known as "medical gaslighting." Researchers who have studied medical gaslighting say the dismissal of real health concerns is a way to control the behavior of people in disadvantaged groups. It may result from bias based on:^3,4

Race
Illness
Physical or mental ability
Weight
Sexual or gender orientation

Spotting medical gaslighting

So how do you know if a healthcare professional is gaslighting you? Signs might include:^8,9

You feel dismissed. Your doctor brushes aside your concerns or opinions. Or they suggest that just stress or aging alone are causing your symptoms. While these things can cause health problems, some doctors blame them without considering other causes or offering solutions.
You are not allowed to speak. Your doctor frequently interrupts you or does not listen to what you say.
Your doctor talks down to you. Your doctor is condescending, saying or implying that your concerns are "all in your head."
Your doctor tries to sway you. Your doctor tries to make you believe that their skill or knowledge is more important than your lived experience.

Becoming your own health advocate

You may feel powerless to speak up about matters related to your health. After all, your doctor is the expert. It is often easier to defer to them. But there are ways to push back against medical gaslighting.

Keep a log of your symptoms, and share them with your doctor. If they do not listen to you or dismiss your symptoms, get a second opinion from a different doctor. You can also ask your doctor for a referral to a specialist.⁹

If you ask for a test and your doctor refuses, ask them to record the request in your chart and why they decided against the test. If you and your doctor continue to disagree about how to proceed, you may need to find a different doctor. Take your records with you to discuss with your new doctor.⁹

The history of medical gaslighting

When a doctor dismisses someone's symptoms, it can lead to delayed or wrong diagnoses.^5-7

A 2019 study found that doctors' negative attitudes caused them to dismiss or misdiagnose the symptoms of more than half of people with chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis. In these cases, doctors most often blamed the symptoms on psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, stress, or trauma. Women in the study reported higher rates of "disbelief" and "insensitivity" from doctors than men did.⁵

Medical gaslighting may also inform how doctors describe people with medical conditions. Researchers analyzed over 40,000 health record notes for negative words or phrases like "resistant" or "noncompliant." The results show that Black people are more than twice as likely as white people to have at least one negative descriptor in their medical records.⁷

These types of bias can delay the delivery of needed health services. Doctors may not order the proper diagnostic screening, or patients may not feel comfortable seeking treatment.⁷

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The ProstateCancer.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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Njguy Member
I feel this way. I was planning no treatment for Gleason 4+3 and the oncologist made it sound like six months of ADT and radiation will be quite tolerable and "you have a support system in place for six months." He made no mention that six months of ADT is enough to permanently stop me from having any sexual function, and that the side effects will continue for a year, so the reality is it isn't just six months of misery--it's 18 months. Thanks but no thanks.
Jim Early Moderator & Contributor
Gaslighting is a real problem, for sure. All the reasons listed are valid but one other major reason I call "doctorsplaining". There is a certain laziness in using medical lingo to short circuit questions and, in essence, place the conversation out of reach for the average patient. This can speed up the visit and keeps the doctor in control. I think this is often done out of habit rather than out of an intent to control. But regardless of the reason, it is really important that physicians and other health professionals learn how to talk to their patients and not over them. As a teaching physician, I used to teach a class in Motivational Interviewing. Motivational Interviewing is simply a technique that when learned and practiced correctly can help health professionals to learn how to truly value and empower their patients. MI puts the patient and the doctor on the same wavelength as together they search the patient's history and skills to allow them to better partner in the patient's care.
Beverly Baldwin Moderator & Contributor
I have always heard the term gaslighting, however not in the medical world. After reading this article, I can say that I know people personally who have been gaslighted. They were in fact people who lacked insurance and had a low socioeconomic status. I appreciate this article pulling back the layers of medical gaslighting. This makes me more aware and cognizant of how to not be gaslighted when it is time for me or my loved ones when going to the doctor. Beverly (Prostatecancer.net Team)
megnani Member
Medical gaslighting is a term used to describe a situation where a healthcare provider dismisses, trivializes, or undermines a patient's symptoms or concerns. This can lead to patients feeling unheard, disbelieved, or invalidated, potentially resulting in misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, or worsening of their condition. Here are some key points about medical gaslighting: 1. **Symptoms Dismissed**: Patients may report specific symptoms or concerns, but the healthcare provider dismisses them as insignificant, attributing them to psychological factors, or implying that the patient is exaggerating. 2. **Invalidation of Experience**: The patient’s experiences and accounts of their symptoms are often minimized or not taken seriously, leading to a feeling of being misunderstood or not believed. 3. **Misdiagnosis and Delayed Treatment**: Because the patient's symptoms are not fully acknowledged, they may receive incorrect diagnoses or have their conditions go untreated, potentially leading to deterioration of health. 4. **Psychological Impact**: Patients subjected to medical gaslighting may experience increased anxiety, self-doubt, or depression. They may begin to question their own perception of their health. 5. **Commonly Affected Groups**: Certain groups, including women, people of color, elderly patients, and those with chronic illnesses or mental health conditions, are more frequently reported to experience medical gaslighting. 6. **Examples**: - A doctor dismisses a patient’s chronic pain as “just stress” without further investigation. - A patient with persistent fatigue is told it’s “all in your head” without proper diagnostic testing. - Symptoms of serious conditions being attributed to anxiety or other psychological issues without thorough examination. If you feel you are experiencing medical gaslighting, it can be helpful to: - Seek a second opinion from another healthcare provider. - Bring a trusted person to your appointments for support. - Keep detailed records of your symptoms and any interactions with healthcare professionals. - Be assertive in advocating for your health and ask for specific tests or referrals if needed.