The Invisible Trap in Healthcare: 'Medical Gaslighting' Threatens Your Health

The Invisible Trap in Healthcare: 'Medical Gaslighting' Threatens Your Health

"That's stressful," "The tests are fine, so you're okay," "You might be overthinking"—have you ever experienced a conversation ending like this when you visited a doctor for physical discomfort? Of course, sometimes it really is just a temporary issue. However, there is a phenomenon where a patient's complaints are dismissed as "overreactions" without sufficient consideration, pushing the individual to doubt their own feelings. In recent years, the term that has been spreading to describe this is Medical Gaslighting.


What is Medical Gaslighting?

Medical Gaslighting refers to a situation where doctors or healthcare professionals downplay or do not take a patient's symptoms seriously, treating them as exaggerations or misconceptions, causing the patient to question their own reality. It is not necessarily an "intentional manipulation," but rather something that can occur due to busyness, experience-based assumptions, or communication habits, which makes it particularly troublesome.


What's important here is that "no diagnosis" does not equal "nonexistent." Medicine is not infallible, and there are cases where symptoms are severe even if tests are normal. Nevertheless, when complaints are dismissed, patients receive an "unexplained denial." As a result, in addition to the symptoms themselves, feelings of isolation and self-denial are compounded.


Why it happens: The shadow of "structure," not individual issues

An article from FOCUS online states that Medical Gaslighting is not a "rare exception" but involves structural factors. For example, time pressure in medical settings, symptoms that are not immediately measurable, outdated medical views, and power imbalances between patients and doctors. When these conditions align, thorough interviews and explanations are reduced, and patients are left with only "unsatisfactory conclusions."


Another aspect that cannot be overlooked is the prejudice that remains within the medical field. Gender, age, body type, history of mental illness, and social status can unconsciously invite frames like "exaggeration" or "self-management issues." Even if patients feel an "indescribable discomfort," it's hard to argue in the examination room. This is where the breeding ground for gaslighting lies.


What impact does it have: Delayed diagnosis, broken trust

The impact of Medical Gaslighting is not limited to mood issues. The article points out the greatest risk is delayed diagnosis and treatment. If misdiagnoses or oversights continue, symptoms may become chronic, or opportunities for recovery may be lost.


Another serious issue is the psychological damage. The more one believes "I might be exaggerating," the higher the barrier to seeking medical care becomes. If medical distrust accumulates and one starts to avoid seeking care altogether, thinking "it's pointless to go," it leads to a spiral of worsening conditions.

 
The article also touches on the increased risk of suicidal ideation among individuals such as transgender people, emphasizing that "dismissal" can be a matter of life and death.


People particularly affected

While it can happen to anyone, the article specifically lists groups more prone to experiencing it. These include women, trans/LGBTQ+ individuals, those with chronic or "invisible" illnesses (such as Long Covid, endometriosis, ME/CFS), the elderly, people with mental illnesses, those who are obese, and people with immigrant backgrounds or people of color.


What these groups have in common are conditions that are difficult to explain, hard to detect in tests, or socially prejudiced. While medicine values objectivity, it tends to favor "measurable things." When "unmeasurable pain" or "fluctuating symptoms" come into play, they are easily attributed to "emotional issues."


It happens in oncology too: "Atypical" becomes a pitfall

While Medical Gaslighting is often associated with chronic pain or hormonal disorders, the article suggests it can also be a problem in cancer treatment. Signs like fatigue, unexplained pain, and weight loss are attributed to stress or age. If initial test results are clear or symptoms are not "textbook," patients may return home with anxiety. Delayed diagnosis can affect treatment options and prognosis, making this a particularly severe issue.


Reactions on social media: Empathy, anger, and "what to do next" wisdom

This theme spreads easily on social media because experiences can be shared in "short words." "I was told nothing was wrong, but I can't move," "I was laughed at," "I was assumed to be fine because I'm young"—such posts quickly evoke memories in those with similar experiences.


In fact, in the comments section of related posts, stories like "I had the same experience" and "Things progressed when I changed doctors" stand out. In one post, a user mentioned they could "write a book about medical experiences," reflecting accumulated anger and neglect over a long period.

 
Another post's response included comments like "the only one I could trust was the dentist," indicating extreme medical distrust and suggesting that "dismissed experiences" can easily turn into distrust of the entire medical field.


On the other hand, social media is not just a place for accusations. Practical wisdom is shared, such as "keeping a diary of symptoms," "making a checklist before a consultation," "bringing a companion," and "seeking a second opinion." This functions as a "self-defense manual" among those affected.


However, caution is advised. Social media can easily lean towards viewing the entire medical field as an enemy, with the risk of veering into conspiracy theories. Therefore, it is necessary for the medical side to articulate "what is known/unknown from tests" and "what to check next," while patients organize "what is concerning and unresolved"—efforts are needed from both sides.


What to do when you feel "dismissed"

The article lists specific actions patients can take on-site. The key is to break it down into information and procedures rather than just confronting with "emotions."

  • Record symptoms: When they started, frequency, intensity, factors that worsen/improve them, impact on daily life. Include dates.

  • Specify questions: Ask about the "process," like "What are we ruling out now?" "What's the next step?" "When should I seek care?"

  • Seek a second opinion: Utilize it as a right.

  • Bring a companion: Reduce missed explanations and slightly level the power dynamics in the consultation.

  • Trust your bodily sensations: "Not being convinced" is an important sign.


These are not meant to "outsmart the doctor." The goal is to shift the consultation from a "Yes/No judgment" to a "collaborative hypothesis testing." Records can also be useful for healthcare providers, and questions reduce the risk of oversight.

How should the medical side change?

If Medical Gaslighting is a structural issue, relying solely on the goodwill of individual doctors has its limits. What's needed is a format for explanations that patients can understand even in a short time, follow-up designs when symptoms are undetermined, education to check biases, and communication that shares "unknowns."


"No abnormalities" can be a progress report rather than a conclusion. What patients often seek is not an "all-powerful diagnosis" but "the current assessment" and "the next steps." Filling this gap makes it easier for patients to escape the feeling of being "denied."


In conclusion: This is not about "imaginary issues"

The term Medical Gaslighting resonates because it involves not only pain and discomfort but also the fear of "not being able to trust one's own experience." While objectivity is necessary in medicine, objectivity should not mean "discarding the patient's subjectivity." Rather, it should be an endeavor to build a bridge from subjectivity to objective examination.


If you are currently swallowing your words in the consultation room, start by keeping records, preparing questions, and, if necessary, seeing another doctor. Your symptoms are a "fact" that can affect your life and should not be dismissed as "imaginary."


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