Medical Gaslighting

Medical gaslighting - a situation in which a patient’s symptoms and concerns are trivialized, dismissed, or even completely ignored by a healthcare provider – can lead to health disparities. Medical gaslighting:

▪ Can unfold as a misinterpretation or misdiagnosis of symptoms due to a narrowly focused search for an answer that will fit a clinical “profile,” rather than keeping an open mind, actively listening, and being willing to admit to not having all the answers

▪ Can create undue stress, anxiety, and depression, and, in the case of a missed diagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or misdiagnosis, irrevocable harm to one’s health or even death

▪ May also result in an unnecessarily greater cost of care, which impacts out-of-pocket expenses for the patient; for those who are uninsured, underinsured, or have very high deductibles, the risk of financially devastating medical debt is very real.

▪ Some patients may also begin to doubt themselves and/or feel shame or low self-esteem.