The Merriam-Webster 2022 word of the year was “gaslighting.” But gaslighting is not a new word, and neither is the behavior it describes, which is the use of “psychological manipulation” to make someone question their thoughts and reality.
Feeling unheard, dismissed, or ignored by a doctor is not new, either. Labeling those experiences as “medical gaslighting” is what is new, though.
In a 2023 Health Central survey about medical gaslighting, 94 percent of respondents said their doctors dismissed their symptoms. And approximately 90 percent of them have experienced medical gaslighting multiple times.
And as the term becomes more mainstream, experts want people to know what medical gaslighting is and is not.
What is medical gaslighting, actually?
Authors of an American Journal of Medicine article define medical gaslighting as, ““medical gaslighting” as an act that invalidates a patient’s genuine clinical concern without proper medical evaluation, because of physician ignorance, implicit bias, or medical paternalism.”
But researchers stress that unlike gaslighting, medical gaslighting is typically unintentional.
“Medical gaslighting is not always intentional or malicious. That is why I am trying to teach patients to recognize it and to advocate for themselves but in a nonconfrontational way,” said, Dr. Tonia L. Farmer, an Ohio-based otolaryngologist.
Farmer said she believes the term medical gaslighting was used more during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was during the pandemic when she decided to use her @drnosebest social media handle for education and advocacy.
“Patients are on social media and we, as clinicians must be on social media. We have to meet patients where they are, especially because so much misinformation is shared on social media. So, I feel it is a requirement that I am there, too,” Farmers said.
Medical gaslighting, Farmer said, can be subtle, and patients and providers may be unaware of it.
Sometimes medical gaslighting can result from patients having a complex sickness or one that is not well understood. Examples are long COVID and multiple sclerosis. And doctors may dismiss patients’ concerns out of their lack of knowledge or uncertainty.
Another cause has to do with doctors who think they are reassuring their patients, according to Farmer.
“When I think back on the times I gaslighted patients, I realize I was trying to reassure them, and I had good intentions telling them, ‘You don’t need to worry about that.’ “But I did not think about how the patient felt,” Farmer said.
Farmer stated there are instances where medical gaslighting occurs because of a clinician’s bias or prejudice.
According to a KFF survey, many Black, Asian, Hispanic, Latino, and Indigenous people believe their experiences with medical gaslighting—providers ignoring their direct questions or requests or being denied prescriptions for pain medication—were because of their race or ethnicity.
Dr. Susan Moore, a Black physician, died from COVID-19 complications after first pleading for proper treatment at Indianapolis University North hospital and being discharged prematurely. In a Facebook video post, Moore said she had requested remdesivir, an antiviral medication for coronavirus 2019, but the white male doctor told her, “You don’t need it.”
“You have to show proof that you have something wrong with you in order for you to get the medicine. I put forth, and I maintain, that if I was white, I wouldn’t have to go through that,” Moore said in the Dec. 4, 2020, video.
Moore later died at another Indianapolis hospital.
How patients can avoid it
Several studies have discussed disparities in prescribing pain medication to Black Americans compared to white Americans. And approximately 60 percent of Black Americans expect to encounter racism during healthcare visits, according to a 2023 KFF survey.
Communication failures, based on implicit bias or a lack of cultural competence, can also lead to medical gaslighting, according to a Physician Leadership Journal article.
Farmer agreed and said patients are their best advocates and that they “need to be intentional about their healthcare. Black and Brown communities must have self-advocacy strategies in place,” Farmer said.
Farmer shares empowering scripts patients can use to communicate effectively with their clinicians when they believe they are experiencing gaslighting.
Patients’ concerns being dismissed ranked number one on the Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2025 list. Because of its effects on patient outcomes, medical gaslighting is an urgent patient safety risk according to ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, who publish the list annually.
Farmer said while patients have a role in improving patient-provider communication, doctors have a greater role.
“We as doctors bear a bigger burden to make sure that medical gaslighting is not happening in that exam room,” Farmer said.
Tips to spot medical gaslighting (from Harvard Health Publishing and Harvard Medical School):
You may be experiencing medical gaslighting if your health care provider:
- Doesn’t listen or interrupts you
- Diminishes your symptoms
- Blames your symptoms on your age, gender, weight, lifestyle habits, or sexual orientation
- Says your symptoms probably are due to anxiety, depression, or stress
- Rushes you through an appointment.
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