What to do about medical gaslighting

Medical gaslighting describes when health care professionals seem to invalidate or ignore a patient’s concerns. It can have many causes, such as a health care provider who has poor communication skills, limited time to speak with a patient, a lack of medical knowledge, or unconscious bias. Someone who suspects gaslighting is occurring during an appointment might try to reframe or rephrase health concerns or questions, or ask a buddy to speak on his or her behalf. If there’s no resolution, it might be a good idea to get a different clinician.