Ashley Laderer
Insider.com
Originally published 29 AUG 2022
Here is an except:
"Medical gaslighting is a term recently used to describe when health care providers dismiss a patient's concerns, feelings, or complaints," says Faith Fletcher, an assistant professor in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine and a senior advisor to the Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute.
Numerous studies over the years have found examples of medical gaslighting, whether it's interrupting a patient or misdiagnosing them based on unconscious biases about race or gender. Gaslighting in the medical field tends to affect marginalized groups the most.
"These interactions don't take place in a vacuum and are rooted in long-standing structural and social injustices such as racism, sexism, and class oppression in the US healthcare system," Fletcher says.
Here are seven signs your doctor may be gaslighting you and the consequences it can have on your health.
1. They interrupt you
2. They rush you
3. They won't discuss your symptoms with you
4. They let underlying biases affect diagnosis
5. They say it's all in your head
6. They question the legitimacy of your medical history
7. They're uncollaborative on treatment options
