When doctors tell a patient “It’s all in your head,” that’s medical gaslighting. Here’s how to address an issue that disproportionately impacts the health of women, LGBTQ individuals and the elderly.
When doctors tell a patient “It’s all in your head,” that’s medical gaslighting. Here’s how to address an issue that disproportionately impacts the health of women, LGBTQ individuals and the elderly.
I’ve witnessed this second-hand with a family member and I’d say gaslighting is an adequate term for what happens to some patients.
Through some combination of weeks/months for a specialist availability, days to weeks for a primary care opening (with a group, not necessarily your specific doctor), and emergency rooms being at capacity, it’s seemingly impossible to get good care for chronic health problems.
ERs and urgent care facilities are not great options for chronic issues, but they’re often all that’s available. And because they aren’t the specialists and they have a narrow charter of work, they can’t really do anything aside from maybe steroids and morphine every once in a while. I do believe that these institutions are being brought down by the sheer volume of work presented to them and are trying to do their best to keep people alive… but it’s disheartening for everybody
I didn’t say it isn’t a problem, but that the doctors aren’t doing it on purpose. They aren’t manipulating people for their own ends. “Gaslighting” implies they are.
It is a real issue that needs to be addressed, as is the issue of the wrong kinds of systems and institutions being used (ER for chronic conditions, like you said, for example).
But the doctors aren’t doing this on purpose like an abuser who wants to keep someone under their thumb.