Is it all in the head? Study reveals the damage medical gaslighting can do

The study observed emotional damage and diagnostic delays that medical gaslighting can do.

Does your healthcare provider dismiss your concerns or downplay your symptoms? This kind of behavior can leave you feeling unheard, invalidated, and even desperate. It’s a phenomenon known as medical gaslighting—and it’s real. According to a recent study led by Allyson Bontempo from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, patients who experience medical gaslighting often feel dismissed, doubted, and emotionally harmed, which can lead to serious consequences for their health and well-being.

Medical gaslighting can make patients feel dismissed and damaged. (Freepik)

Findings of the study:

The study examined 151 qualitative reports representing over 11,000 individuals diagnosed with conditions like fibromyalgia, endometriosis, and long COVID. The researchers sought to understand what happens when healthcare professionals diminish or minimize the health-related questions of their patients.

The researchers noted a disturbing picture with the results of the findings. They referred to symptom invalidation or medical gaslighting – the condition where doctors explicitly communicate that the patients are wrong about their bodies.

Medical gaslighting can lead to emotional harm.(Freepik)

What medical gaslighting can do:

When pain, fatigue or stress are dismissed by the healthcare professionals as psychological, it can inflict emotional harm, including self-doubt, shame, depression, and even suicidality in the patients. Patients often start to question their sanity think if the pain they feel is even real.

But the effect goes beyond just emotional damage. Patients often start developing anxiety about healthcare visits, lose trust in the medical system, and avoid seeking care altogether. This leads to diagnostic delays and worsening of conditions before they seek medical help.

Lead author Allyson Bontempo, a postdoctoral fellow at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in a statement said, “Patients reported downplaying their symptoms to doctors so they wouldn’t appear dramatic or like they’re exaggerating.”

The gender bias in medical gaslighting:

The researchers also observed gender bias in medical gaslighting, with female more affected by the comments made by healthcare professionals. They are also the ones more prone to skepticism from medical professionals. The study recorded 81% female participants being more affected by medical gaslighting.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.