Medical gaslighting - what is behind the term?

September 23, 2024

Kimmy Fischer

Medical gaslighting - what is behind the term?

The silent breach of trust in healthcare: When patients are not taken seriously and doctors ignore or downplay symptoms

Imagine entering a doctor's office, plagued with pain that's weighing on your everyday life. You hope for explanation. For relief. And above all, to be taken seriously. But instead, your symptoms are dismissed as if they were nothing more than a product of your own imagination.

This moment of disappointment, where your health and trust are undermined, has a name: medical gaslighting. It is a phenomenon that occurs quietly but powerfully in doctor's offices and hospitals around the world — often unnoticed but with far-reaching consequences for those affected.

How is it possible that people seeking help end up shaken in their own perception? And what impact does this have on their health and life? We took a closer look at medical gaslighting and researched how such a breach of trust in healthcare occurs — and what needs to be done about it.

What is medical gaslighting?

The term "gaslighting" originally comes from psychology and describes a form of emotional manipulation where a person is systematically led to question their own perception, memory, or reality.

Translated into the medical context, "medical gaslighting" means that patients begin to doubt their perception regarding health issues due to the reactions or behavior of a doctor.

This might look like symptoms, complaints, or concerns being downplayed, ignored, or even dismissed as exaggerated.

5 signs of medical gaslighting

Devaluation of symptoms:Doctors or caregivers dismiss symptoms as "insignificant" or "psychosomatic" without further consideration.

Ignoring complaints:Patients repeatedly report pain or problems that are not seriously investigated.

Hasty diagnoses:Complaints are hastily attributed to stress or emotional causes without ruling out physical causes.

Difficulty in diagnosis:Often in diseases that are difficult to diagnose or those with nonspecific symptoms, such as autoimmune diseases, chronic pain, or rare diseases.

Gender and racial bias:Women, especially women from ethnic minorities, are often disproportionately affected by medical gaslighting. Studies show that their complaints are more likely to be classified as "exaggerated" or "psychosomatic," whereas in reality they often have serious health problems.

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What is medical gaslighting?

The term "gaslighting" originally comes from psychology and describes a form of emotional manipulation where a person is systematically led to question their own perception, memory, or reality.

Translated into the medical context, "medical gaslighting" means that patients begin to doubt their perception regarding health issues due to the reactions or behavior of a doctor.

This might look like symptoms, complaints, or concerns being downplayed, ignored, or even dismissed as exaggerated.

5 signs of medical gaslighting

Devaluation of symptoms:Doctors or caregivers dismiss symptoms as "insignificant" or "psychosomatic" without further consideration.

Ignoring complaints:Patients repeatedly report pain or problems that are not seriously investigated.

Hasty diagnoses:Complaints are hastily attributed to stress or emotional causes without ruling out physical causes.

Difficulty in diagnosis:Often in diseases that are difficult to diagnose or those with nonspecific symptoms, such as autoimmune diseases, chronic pain, or rare diseases.

Gender and racial bias:Women, especially women from ethnic minorities, are often disproportionately affected by medical gaslighting. Studies show that their complaints are more likely to be classified as "exaggerated" or "psychosomatic," whereas in reality they often have serious health problems.

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Medical gaslighting - what is behind the term?

What is medical gaslighting?

5 signs of medical gaslighting

More on this Topic