“You’re just stressed.” “It’s all in your head.” “Maybe you should try losing weight.” “Let’s try antidepressants first.” “You just need to relax more.” “Come back in 6 months for another review.” “In my medical opinion, I’ am the Doctor – I think its this.”

If these phrases sound painfully familiar, you may have experienced medical gaslighting—when healthcare providers dismiss, minimise, or psychologise your physical symptoms, leaving you questioning your own reality and health. Medical gaslighting and medical bias is rife throughout our health care systems.

What Is Medical Gaslighting?

Medical gaslighting is a form of epistemic injustice that involves testimonial injustice, where your experiences and symptoms are discounted or dismissed by healthcare providers. Recent research has found this experience is surprisingly common, particularly among women, people with chronic pain conditions, and marginalised populations.

According to a 2024 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, patients with vulvovaginal pain conditions reported seeing an average of 5.7 healthcare providers before finding appropriate care. Only 42% felt supported by past providers, while 27% felt belittled and 21% felt providers didn’t believe their symptoms. Most distressingly, 39% were made to feel they were “crazy”—rating this experience as extremely distressing (7.3/10 on average).

Medical gaslighting can be defined as “the psychological and institutional process that naturalises the diminution of those who are testimonially disempowered within the context of the medical institution, and in their relationships with those who have authority to legitimize the patient’s illness experience.” In simpler terms, it’s when healthcare professionals make you doubt your own symptoms, experiences, or sanity instead of providing proper investigation and care.

Common Signs You’ve Experienced Medical Gaslighting

You may have experienced medical gaslighting if a healthcare provider has:

• Attributed your physical symptoms solely to anxiety, stress, or mental health without proper testing.
• Told you that you “just need to relax more” (45% of patients in the vulvovaginal pain study heard this).
• Suggested lifestyle changes like weight loss as the sole solution to complex symptoms.
• Referred you to psychiatry without addressing your physical symptoms (22% of study participants).
• Made you feel unsafe during a medical encounter (19% of study participants).
• Dismissed your concerns because they didn’t fit into easily diagnosed categories – how many times have people felt this way.
• Implied you were exaggerating your symptoms or seeking attention, or maybe even looking for drugs, or implying you’re a drug user (when are just in pain and totally over it questioning the existence of life).
• Repeatedly told you that your test results are normal, therefore nothing is wrong, despite ongoing symptoms.

The Real Impact of Medical Gaslighting

The consequences of medical gaslighting extend far beyond frustration. Research shows it can lead to:

Delayed Diagnosis and Treatment

A meta-analysis found that in 8.8% of cases, symptoms initially labelled as “psychosomatic” or “functional” were eventually found to have underlying organic causes. For conditions like Lyme disease, patients reported seeing a median of 10 doctors before receiving a correct diagnosis.

Psychological Trauma

Medical gaslighting can create a form of trauma that doesn’t fit neatly into standard diagnostic categories. Patients often develop symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):

• Intrusive memories of negative medical encounters.
• Avoidance of medical care, including chronic pain,  (55% of patients with vulvovaginal pain considered giving up seeking care)
• Negative alterations in mood and thoughts, including self-doubt and distrust of medical institutions, this is such as big one, and really affects everyone, including new practitioners you might see.
• Heightened arousal and reactivity, including anxiety when interacting with the healthcare system (only natural given your previous dealings with health care practitioners).

Social and Economic Consequences

• Strained relationships as friends and family may not understand your continued health struggles.
• Missed work, lost income, and career limitations.
• Financial strain from seeking multiple opinions and paying for unnecessary treatments.
• Social isolation and feelings of being misunderstood.
• Ongoing strain on the health care system from misdiagnosis, scans, blood tests.

Who Is Most Vulnerable to Medical Gaslighting?

While anyone can experience medical gaslighting, research shows certain groups face higher risks:

Women

There is a long history of women being pathologised by the medical and psychological community, hysteria comes to mind. Women often have their pain and symptoms dismissed or psychologised more frequently than men. One study found that “the experiences of women with the healthcare system are overwhelmingly negative and encompassed in medical gaslighting,” with themes including denial and dismissal of symptoms, delayed diagnosis, and gender bias. It’s also no unique to women, regardless of gender, men can also experience medical gaslighting, easily being dismissed with medical bias.

People with Chronic or Complex Conditions

Individuals with conditions that are difficult to diagnose or have ambiguous presentations—such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Long COVID, and complex pain disorders—face challenges. These conditions are sometimes described as “illnesses you have to fight to get” because they lack clear, widely accepted diagnostic criteria.

Marginalised Communities

Individuals from marginalised racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, LGBTQIA+ community often face additional barriers to being believed. Research has identified “gender, class, and racial inequalities” as factors in medical dismissal, creating an “intersectional” burden where multiple identities compound the risk of being gaslit.

How Therapy Can Help: Finding Your Way Forward

If you’ve experienced medical gaslighting, counselling and psychotherapy can be a crucial part of your healing journey. I help clients who have faced invalidation within the healthcare system. Here’s how I can support you:

Validation and Recognition

First and foremost, I will believe you. Your experiences are real, your symptoms matter, and your suffering deserves attention. In therapy, you’ll find a space where your health struggles are taken seriously, and your narrative is centred.

Processing Medical Trauma

Medical gaslighting can create a unique form of trauma. Our therapists are trained to recognize and address the psychological impact of invalidating medical experiences, helping you process feelings of betrayal, anger, helplessness, and self-doubt.

Rebuilding Trust and Agency

Many survivors of medical gaslighting struggle to trust healthcare providers and even their own bodies. We’ll work together to:

• Put yourself first when dealing with health care practitioners.
• Develop strategies for self-advocacy in medical settings.
• Identify supportive providers who practice patient-centred care.
• Reconnect with your body’s signals and wisdom.
• Build confidence in your ability to navigate the healthcare system.
• Know what to do when a health care practitioner become defensive towards you.

Managing Health Anxiety

After negative medical experiences, it’s common to develop anxiety about your health and future medical interactions. Therapy provides tools to:

• Distinguish between helpful vigilance and debilitating anxiety.
• Manage physical symptoms of anxiety that may mimic or exacerbate your medical condition.
• Prepare emotionally for medical appointments and procedures.
• Develop coping strategies for health uncertainty.

Building a Support Network

When medical providers have failed you, having strong social support becomes even more critical. In therapy, we can:

• Explore ways to communicate your experiences to loved ones.
• Set boundaries with people who invalidate your symptoms.
• Connect you with support groups and community resources.
• Identify advocates who can accompany you to appointments.

You Deserve to Be Heard: Taking the First Step

The decision to seek therapy after medical gaslighting can feel daunting. You may wonder if yet another professional, like myself will dismiss your experiences or question your reality. I approach each client with compassion, cultural humility, and a deep commitment to believing patients’ accounts of their own bodies and lives. And client consent and boundaries are at the forefront of this.

Research shows that more than half of patients with conditions like vulvovaginal pain considered giving up on seeking care because they felt their concerns weren’t being addressed. But you don’t have to face this journey alone. I create a safe environment where your experiences are validated, your symptoms are taken seriously, and your path toward healing is supported.

If you’ve experienced medical gaslighting and are ready to reclaim your sense of trust, agency, and well-being, I’m here to help. Schedule time to see my by making a new client appointment, so I can support your healing journey.

I am  committed to providing trauma-informed care for individuals who have experienced invalidation within the healthcare system, doctors, psychologists, or other health care practitioners. I recognise the unique challenges faced by those with chronic illness, complex pain conditions, and histories of medical trauma.