Medical gaslighting, or having one’s concerns dismissed by a medical professional, can happen to anyone, but especially people of color, LGTBQ+ people, and women.
An instance of medical gaslighting occurred some weeks ago. Christina, a 39-year-old, fell off her bike and injured her elbow. When she went to get it checked out at her primary care doctor, the doctor remarked, “Well, you’re overweight and it’s putting stress on your joints.”
Sometime later, Christina went to urgent care and found out that she had chipped a bone in her elbow. “My elbow was still hurting,” she says to the New York Times.
Some ways to spot medical gaslighting are: when your provider brushes off your symptoms, when your provider may be rude or oblivious to what you’re saying, or when your provider will not further investigate nor order a testing to confirm the diagnosis.
Medical professionals should always listen to the patient carefully and work with them to figure out what’s happening. If you are a victim of medical gaslighting, always speak up and defend yourself. Dr. Nicole Mitchell states, “Any instances of abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, delaying diagnoses — those are reportable events that providers need to know about. Doctors need to be held accountable.”
Before going to an appointment, prepare some questions and notes about your symptoms. Usually, medical providers will answer those questions and pay more attention. If not, also try saying things like “Let’s hit the pause button here, because we have a disconnect. You’re not hearing what I’m saying. Let me start again.”
There are tons of ways to try to solve medical gaslighting. If none of them work, then switch providers entirely. Misdiagnosis can be harmful to your body, and may even worsen the original symptoms. It may not be a quick or an easy change, but it certainly can benefit you in the long run.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/29/well/mind/medical-gaslighting.html#:~:text=Your%20provider%20minimizes%20or%20downplays,being%20rude%2C%20condescending%20or%20belittling
An instance of medical gaslighting occurred some weeks ago. Christina, a 39-year-old, fell off her bike and injured her elbow. When she went to get it checked out at her primary care doctor, the doctor remarked, “Well, you’re overweight and it’s putting stress on your joints.”
Sometime later, Christina went to urgent care and found out that she had chipped a bone in her elbow. “My elbow was still hurting,” she says to the New York Times.
Some ways to spot medical gaslighting are: when your provider brushes off your symptoms, when your provider may be rude or oblivious to what you’re saying, or when your provider will not further investigate nor order a testing to confirm the diagnosis.
Medical professionals should always listen to the patient carefully and work with them to figure out what’s happening. If you are a victim of medical gaslighting, always speak up and defend yourself. Dr. Nicole Mitchell states, “Any instances of abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, delaying diagnoses — those are reportable events that providers need to know about. Doctors need to be held accountable.”
Before going to an appointment, prepare some questions and notes about your symptoms. Usually, medical providers will answer those questions and pay more attention. If not, also try saying things like “Let’s hit the pause button here, because we have a disconnect. You’re not hearing what I’m saying. Let me start again.”
There are tons of ways to try to solve medical gaslighting. If none of them work, then switch providers entirely. Misdiagnosis can be harmful to your body, and may even worsen the original symptoms. It may not be a quick or an easy change, but it certainly can benefit you in the long run.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/29/well/mind/medical-gaslighting.html#:~:text=Your%20provider%20minimizes%20or%20downplays,being%20rude%2C%20condescending%20or%20belittling
