A young woman named Christina from Portland, Maine, has spent most of her life complaining about being ignored by doctors for years. “This experience of having one’s concerned dismissed by a medical provider is often referred to as medical gaslighting.”
Around the world, several people have had their concerns dismissed by a medical provider, causing lost lives, unnecessary suffering, delayed treatment, and vulnerability to any disease, since there is nobody there for them.
As time passed, this problem has caught the attention of more people in the medical community, general public, even the people of color, geriatric patients and LGBTQ citizens.
Studies have documented that women are more likely than men to wait longer for a diagnosis and be misdiagnosed with certain conditions. Doctors are more likely to use negative descriptors like “noncompliant” or “agitated” in Black patients’ health records than those of whites.
Dr. Susan Moore, a practicing physician, posted a video saying she was being denied medication for her COVID-19 related chest pain. She had to beg her healthcare provider to take scans of her chest, since they didn’t believe her symptoms. When she finally got a scan, it showed problems in her lungs.
“I put forth, and I maintain, that if I was white, I wouldn’t have to go through that,” Moore stated.
After this, it became easier for people to understand gaslighting. Some even wrote lists of signs for this situation.
Some signs of medical gaslighting are refusing to discuss your symptoms, feeling as if your provider is being rude, condescending, or belittling, continually interrupts you, and doesn’t appear to be too engaged into the conversation, and much more.
For those who had much sympathy for the vulnerable to these issues, they also wrote lists on how to advocate for yourself.
You can keep notes, ask questions, bring a support person, focus on your issue. If it doesn’t change, switch providers, reframe the conversation, or look to support groups.
“I always tell my patients that they are the expert of their body,” said Dr. Nicole Mitchell, the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the obstetrics and gynecology department at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. “We work together to figure out what’s happening and what we can do about it. It really should be a shared decision making.”
Sources cited:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659262116009x985260730887829600/How%20to%20Spot%20%E2%80%98Medical%20Gaslighting%E2%80%99%20and%20What%20to%20Do%20About%20It.%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
https://www.goodrx.com/healthcare-access/patient-advocacy/medical-gaslighting-signs-examples
Around the world, several people have had their concerns dismissed by a medical provider, causing lost lives, unnecessary suffering, delayed treatment, and vulnerability to any disease, since there is nobody there for them.
As time passed, this problem has caught the attention of more people in the medical community, general public, even the people of color, geriatric patients and LGBTQ citizens.
Studies have documented that women are more likely than men to wait longer for a diagnosis and be misdiagnosed with certain conditions. Doctors are more likely to use negative descriptors like “noncompliant” or “agitated” in Black patients’ health records than those of whites.
Dr. Susan Moore, a practicing physician, posted a video saying she was being denied medication for her COVID-19 related chest pain. She had to beg her healthcare provider to take scans of her chest, since they didn’t believe her symptoms. When she finally got a scan, it showed problems in her lungs.
“I put forth, and I maintain, that if I was white, I wouldn’t have to go through that,” Moore stated.
After this, it became easier for people to understand gaslighting. Some even wrote lists of signs for this situation.
Some signs of medical gaslighting are refusing to discuss your symptoms, feeling as if your provider is being rude, condescending, or belittling, continually interrupts you, and doesn’t appear to be too engaged into the conversation, and much more.
For those who had much sympathy for the vulnerable to these issues, they also wrote lists on how to advocate for yourself.
You can keep notes, ask questions, bring a support person, focus on your issue. If it doesn’t change, switch providers, reframe the conversation, or look to support groups.
“I always tell my patients that they are the expert of their body,” said Dr. Nicole Mitchell, the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the obstetrics and gynecology department at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. “We work together to figure out what’s happening and what we can do about it. It really should be a shared decision making.”
Sources cited:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659262116009x985260730887829600/How%20to%20Spot%20%E2%80%98Medical%20Gaslighting%E2%80%99%20and%20What%20to%20Do%20About%20It.%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
https://www.goodrx.com/healthcare-access/patient-advocacy/medical-gaslighting-signs-examples
