Are You a Victim of Medical Gaslighting?

Merriam-Webster chose “gaslighting” as its “word of the year” in 2022, recognizing the term’s popularity for describing “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for one’s own advantage.” The term “medical gaslighting” soon emerged to describe when a healthcare provider dismisses, minimizes, or doubts a patient’s symptoms, making them feel like it is “all in their head.”

What Is Medical Gaslighting?

An article in the October 2024 edition of The American Journal of Medicine defined medical gaslighting as “invalidating a patient’s genuine clinical concern without proper medical evaluation, because of physician ignorance, implicit bias, or medical paternalism.” Many other respected medical institutions, including Harvard Health Publishing and the American Psychological Association, have also addressed this growing concern.

Since medical gaslighting is often subtle, it can be difficult to identify. Common gaslighting behaviors include:

• A provider who constantly interrupts or ignores you.
• A provider who downplays or dismisses your symptoms.
• A provider who refuses to order lab work, imaging, or other diagnostic tests.
• A provider who speaks to you condescendingly or rudely.
• A provider who tells you your condition is psychological without referring you for mental health screening.
• A provider who blames your symptoms on your weight, age, diet, stress, or other lifestyle factors and dismisses other possibilities.

Although medical gaslighting can happen to anyone, it disproportionately impacts vulnerable and marginalized populations, including women, the LGBTQ community, people of color, and the elderly. A 2022 review of more than 18,000 patient records found that doctors used negative descriptors like “noncompliant” and “resistant” 2.54 times more often in the health records of Black patients than white patients.

Medical gaslighting can lead to delayed diagnoses, inappropriate treatment, and other forms of negligent care. Learning more about this problem can help a patient understand whether they may have legal claims against a hospital, doctor, or other medical provider.

Negligence, Mistake, and Malpractice

Not all adverse patient outcomes are caused by negligence. However, medical personnel must act with the knowledge, skill, and care expected of a similarly situated professional in their situation. They can use their professional judgment, but they must provide their patients with treatment that meets established standards of competence and care. This is their duty of care.

Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional or institution fails to fulfill their duty of care, also referred to as negligence. When medical negligence leads to injury, a patient may be able to bring a medical malpractice or hospital negligence claim.

Why Medical Gaslighting Occurs

It is generally agreed that, unlike in other forms of gaslighting, most medical professionals who engage in this behavior don’t intentionally manipulate or mislead their patients. Many systemic problems in the healthcare system increase the likelihood of its occurrence. These include:

• Lack of knowledge or understanding of treatment protocols, especially with emerging or newly discovered conditions or diseases.
• Preconceived notions about specific clinical presentations.
• Subliminal or unconscious bias toward certain patient populations.
• Poor communication between patients and providers.
• Systemic pressure to increase efficiency and decrease costs.

Unfortunately, these factors often lead to patients feeling like their providers ignore their concerns or fail to provide prompt, appropriate care for their illnesses. For example:

• Many patients reported ongoing symptoms and complaints after infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Since this virus wasn’t widely recognized before 2020, there were no established diagnoses or treatment protocols. Many patients with what the CDC now recognizes as “long COVID” reported that their providers discounted or disbelieved that they had an actual illness when they reported ongoing symptoms after testing negative.

• Crushing chest pain radiating down the left arm is the classic primary clinical presentation indicating a heart attack. However, women often experience different symptoms, including fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, or back and jaw pain. In an overcrowded ER, overworked doctors may minimize these concerns, attributing them to stress or exhaustion without performing appropriate diagnostic tests.

A medical provider’s failure to take reasonable, appropriate steps to address a patient’s concerns can lead to serious harm. In the first example, a patient may suffer for months or years before they receive appropriate treatment. In the second, an untreated heart attack can cause severe, permanent injuries or death.

Pursuing Justice and Compensation for Medical Malpractice

Patients who suffer injuries as a result of delayed diagnosis, mistakes, or medical negligence may be able to pursue a claim for medical malpractice. In addition to claims against individual providers, an injured patient may be able to pursue claims against a hospital or medical organization.

If you believe you or a loved one suffered injuries due to medical gaslighting, consult with an experienced Michigan attorney immediately. Michigan medical malpractice cases have additional procedural requirements compared to other personal injury cases, including strict deadlines for filing a claim. Don’t wait – you may lose your right to pursue a claim. An experienced lawyer can help you hold medical providers accountable for negligence and recover compensation for your losses. Contact a Sommers Schwartz, P.C. medical malpractice attorney today to schedule a free, no-obligation, confidential consultation to discuss your situation and explore your options.

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