Medical Gaslighting: Tell Me a Time You Were Dismissed By Your Doctor
Can you remember a time when you were medically gaslit?
Medical gaslighting is the act of a healthcare provider ignoring or dismissing a patient's concerns or complaints and leaving them without a clear treatment plan, often stating that the patient has an unspecificed mental illness or is dealing with symptoms of stress.
If your doctor has ever told you that it was all in your head, you're probably just stressed, try to think more positively--and failed to actually try and understand and solve your problem-- you've experienced medical gaslighting.
If you feel comfortable sharing, please include your story to this thread and tell us: how did you react? Why do you think your doctor treated you like that? Did you know that it was gaslighting at the time it was happening?
An obgyn told me I couldn't "possibly be in pain": I pursued a second opinion, finally had surgery, and the surgeon's notes indicated I had 7 lbs of fibroid tumors and endometriosis spread over the ligaments in my pelvis. Was in pain for 30 years!
And in the same year, I had a toxic adverse event with a prescribed med. The doc in the ER told me I was having a panic attack and needed to go home and calm down. Turns out my nervous system and brain stem were shutting down and I nearly died. Luckily, another ER was much kinder and curious and saved my life.
This is SO unacceptable and infuriating. I feel like this is the definition of gaslighting--7 lbs of fibroids???? Shame on those doctors! - Bridget (team member)
This one time at a healthcare professionals office… my youth and illness were not considered to be serious but I articulated my concerns thoughtfully and had tracked my symptoms for months. The list of symptoms made it impossible for them to ignore.
, so smart that you did this, and appalling that you needed to. Have they provided any answers or relief? Or have you changed teams? - Warmly, Donna (Team Member)
