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The term medical gaslighting describes when a medical professional dismisses or minimizes their patient’s concerns. In practice, this could look like telling a patient their symptoms are no big deal or all in their head, or offhandedly recommending weight loss or mental health treatment without really digging into what might be wrong.
Medical gaslighting disproportionately impacts women and people of color. One 2008 paper published in the Journal of Women’s Health found that women were twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with a mental illness despite displaying common symptoms of heart disease.
A separate study by researchers at Umeå University in Sweden in 2002 investigated gender differences in the diagnosis and management of neck pain. The researchers found that, after hearing patients describe their neck pain, many doctors asked women psychosocial questions (meant to evaluate an individual’s physical, mental and emotional health) and proposed drug prescriptions. Laboratory tests were requested more often in males.
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