What Is Medical Gaslighting?

3 min read

If you have ever felt dismissed by a doctor, you may have experienced a type of bias (prejudice) called medical gaslighting. Medical gaslighting can happen to anyone, but it most often happens to people in economically or socially disadvantaged groups. It can lead to missed, delayed, or incorrect diagnosis of an illness.

What is gaslighting?

The term "gaslighting" comes from a play-turned-movie called Gaslight about a husband's attempt to convince his wife that she is insane. He does this, in part, by dimming their gas-powered lights and then denying it. Today, gaslighting is a term for mental abuse. It is when a person in power manipulates someone else into doubting their own judgment.^1,2

Gaslighting in the medical field

When doctors minimize or dismiss someone's health symptoms, it is known as "medical gaslighting." Many women have reported facing this harmful behavior from their healthcare provider. It also happens to people in other disadvantaged groups. It may result from bias based on:^3,4

Race
Illness
Physical or mental ability
Weight
Sexual or gender orientation

Researchers who have studied medical gaslighting say the dismissal of real health concerns is a way to control the behavior of people in these disadvantaged groups.^3,4

The history of medical gaslighting

Doctors have long suggested that some people's health symptoms were "all in their head." For women, this idea is rooted in an outdated and debunked medical concept called "hysteria," which comes from the Greek word for uterus. Doctors often dismissed women and diagnosed them as having emotional problems caused by their uteruses.^3,4

How medical gaslighting affects diagnosis

When a doctor dismisses someone's symptoms, it can lead to delayed or wrong diagnoses. Multiple studies prove this.^5-7

A 2019 study found that doctors' negative attitudes caused them to dismiss or misdiagnose the symptoms of more than half of people with chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis. In these cases, doctors most often blamed the symptoms on psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, stress, or trauma. Women in the study reported higher rates of "disbelief" and "insensitivity" from doctors than men did.⁵

A 2021 study found differences in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women compared to men. Women are often diagnosed later or given less treatment than men, which leads to worse health outcomes and higher death rates. The study identified bias based on gender as one cause of the differences.⁶

Medical gaslighting may also inform how doctors describe people with medical conditions. Researchers analyzed over 40,000 health record notes for negative words or phrases like "resistant" or "noncompliant." The results show that Black people are more than twice as likely as white people to have at least one negative descriptor in their medical records.⁷

These types of bias can delay the delivery of needed health services. Doctors may not order the proper diagnostic screening, or patients may not feel comfortable seeking treatment.⁷

Spotting medical gaslighting

So how do you know if a healthcare professional is gaslighting you? Signs might include:^8,9

You feel dismissed. Your doctor brushes aside your concerns or opinions. Or they suggest that hormones, stress, or aging are causing your symptoms. While these things can cause health problems, some doctors blame them without considering other causes or offering solutions.
You are not allowed to speak. Your doctor frequently interrupts you or does not listen to what you say.
Your doctor talks down to you. Your doctor is condescending, saying or implying that your concerns are "all in your head."
Your doctor tries to sway you. Your doctor tries to make you believe that their skill or knowledge is more important than your lived experience.

Becoming your own health advocate

You may feel powerless to speak up about matters related to your health. After all, your doctor is the expert. It is often easier to defer to them. But there are ways to push back against medical gaslighting.

Keep a log of your symptoms, and share them with your doctor. If they do not listen to you or dismiss your symptoms, get a second opinion from a different doctor. You can also ask your doctor for a referral to a specialist.⁹

If you ask for a test and your doctor refuses, ask them to record the request in your chart and why they decided against the test. If you and your doctor continue to disagree about how to proceed, you may need to find a different doctor. Take your records with you to discuss with your new doctor.⁹

Join the conversation

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ralsted Member
One of the (lead) topics a doctor is taught in medical school: Malpractice. Unless the AMA (American Medical Association) have released literature that can support a topic, support that includes the AMA's position (ala support for the doctor in a malpractice action) said topic will be dismissed or ignored. The best course of action is knowledge ... learning all that you can and being prepared for speaking to a doctor with one of the key elements of an attorney's schooling: Never ask a question you do not already have an answer for.
CommunityMember6de5f5 Member
I am very frustrated. My titers are negitive but I'm very symptomatic. Already had 1 eye dropping correction surgery. The last dr I saw yesterday (took 8 months to get the appt), spent 5 minutes with me and acted like I wasn't interesting enough for him. I left with no answers or direction. I'm now walking w a walker and fatigue is getting worse. My gardens are a mess because I don't have the energy. Any duggestions?
1. Jess.Hall Community Admin
 <inline-mention username="CommunityMember6de5f5" user-id="6714871"/> I can understand why you are feeling so frustrated. That is an extremely frustrating situation. Have you considered getting a second opinion? It could be helpful in your diagnosis journey. I included a link to some information on diagnosis and symptoms, just in case the information could be helpful for future doctor appointments - <a href='https://myasthenia-gravis.com/symptoms' target='_blank'>https://myasthenia-gravis.com/symptoms</a> and <a href='https://myasthenia-gravis.com/diagnosis' target='_blank'>https://myasthenia-gravis.com/diagnosis</a>. I truly hope your medical team can get to the root cause of your symptoms and help you find some relief. Kindly, Jessica, MG Team Member
JenWen Member
I agree that it can be challenging. But gaslighting goes beyond a challenging diagnosis.
CommunityMember23ca17 Member
I have been a nurse for 50 years and can tell you gaslighting is very real, sad to say. I'm glad this article included "weight" : I was part of a team conducting research on access to ovarian cancer screening and heard horrendous stories about MDs blaming weight for almost every condition, and ignoring other symptoms. Many women had low back pain, one of the few symptoms of ovarian CA, and had it blamed on weight. A woman with high blood pressure was refused meds, being told to lose weight; she had a stroke. Another woman was told she was too fat for a pap smear and to come back after she'd lost weight; she waited 10 ;years until other symptoms arose. I could go on, but you get the picture. Taking an advocate with you to medical appointments is mandatory if you feel like you experience MD mistreatment. And do remember you deserve to be treated with respect regardless. Get another doctor if you don't get it. Marginalized people have much poorer access to care, but often need the best care because they have higher risks due to their social environment. They don't have easy access to "another doctor" so taking an advocate is critically important. It is harder for MD mistreatment with "witnesses." Finally, as for diagnosing MG, while I know it can be difficult, I am lucky to have a primary care MD who I'd been seeing for over 10 years. She listened to my symptoms and saw the video I took of my slurred speech, and immediately said" myesthenia?" She called neurology to order correct blood test and I had my diagnosis in a few days. She told me later she'd never had a patient with MG. So yes, doctors have a hard job, and many are leaving the field. Our medical care system needs a lot of change to make it work for all. But giving care with dignity and respect costs nothing. It is the most important standard of care.
CommunityMember4a4047 Member
After being given many different reasons by various doctors about why I shouldn’t worry about my double vision and lazy eye lid, I finally had an episode of double vision that wouldn’t go away. I was driving over to watch my son graduate Marine Corps basic with 11 family members in a large, rental van. I drove there with one eye closed, stayed the night and drove back after graduation with one eye closed, 8.5 hrs each way. The double vision wouldn’t clear itself up like normal, upon my return my doctor was still unsure?? and since it was last minute, he sent me to a “new ” and very intelligent eye doctor who in the middle of my exam stopped and immediately sent me to a Neurologist that agreed with her diagnosis. After joining this site, I found a group who specializes in MG and I now have an appointment for April (the earliest) because my current neurologists, only has the one metric, my strength. Not the stuff I try to share with him but keep from everyone else like numbness, lack of drive and all the other fun MG stuff that’s makes us a snowflake.
DougS Member
We are very familiar with medical gaslighting. Prior to my MG diagnosis, an antiviral med prescribed for Bell's Palsy improved my MG bulbar symptoms. When I reported this to my Neurologist it was written off as a Placebo Effect. My wife has had the complete set of ME symptoms for the past year and it has not been diagnosed. The most recent visit ended with a recommendation for a Vitamin B-12 shot as her blood tests showed she was low in the normal range for that Vitamin. This after we had described all of the symptoms (again) including PEM examples. It's interesting that ME was one of the specific examples in this article. Also, when my wife had previous reactions to influenza vaccines for several days after the shot, there was never a question that the reaction was from the vaccine. When she had a similar reaction to her second COVID vaccine shot, there was also no question, as it was an expected side effect. But when she had a much more severe reaction to her COVID booster the following day, we became anti-vax MAGA losers to the medical community. She had a stroke shortly after and is still recovering from that event along with the ME. Needless to say, government health and health policy sources have lost all credibility for us, along with several medical professionals who have refused to listen or work with us on these issues. The implications go far beyond our current MG and ME health challenges.
Mac2 Member
I won’t argue with the research that you refer to, but based on my own experience, I think that you are painting an inaccurate picture of why most doctors don’t diagnose people with MG quickly. It has taken me almost 30 years to get a diagnosis of this disease, but I don’t fall into the economically or socially disadvantaged groups you complain for. I’m a white male, and received the same type of experiences you characterize as being unique to disadvantage groups. If I can see the challenges my doctors have encountered in diagnosing me for nearly 30 years I think other people should not be so quick to accuse their doctors of gaslighting them if it’s only been a relatively short timeframe. 
1. DougS Member
 <inline-mention username="Mac2" user-id="6606987"/> There is no doubt that doctors have legitimate challenges when it comes to diagnosis of rare conditions like MG, ME, etc. It took 18 months of testing my bulbar symptoms for GI issues before more clear symptoms showed up. However, when it came to my wife's COVID vaccine reaction and ME (the stroke was obvious and diagnosed quickly), it seems clear to us that many doctors have been restricted, censored, threatened, and otherwise prevented from presenting their normal findings to patients if there is any possible connection to the COVID vaccine. In the context of a patient/doctor relationship, these problems are very apparent and obvious. The patient may well conclude that the medical professionals are not reliable on a go-forward basis. This can have very negative results by delaying either a future correct diagnosis, or the acceptance of a correct diagnosis by patients that are now questioning everything due to the lost confidence.