Is your doctor gaslighting you? Healthcare professional reveals signs of medical gaslighting – and how to advocate for yourself

Concerned about symptoms, but repeatedly being dismissed by your doctor? Here’s how to spot when it’s medical gaslighting.

Leaving a medical appointment without answers can feel confusing, scary and unfair – especially if you’re experiencing symptoms that are impacting your daily life.

While you might be quick to assume your doctor is unfairly dismissing you – or even gaslighting you – the reality is often far more complex than it seems.

We caught up with Jayne Denton, a diagnostic radiographer with 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry, who has seen patients at every stage of the journey and observed the truth about medical gaslighting first-hand.

What is medical gaslighting?

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation where someone makes you doubt your experiences, memory or perception of reality. In a medical setting, it is often used to describe situations where you feel like your symptoms or concerns have been downplayed or dismissed by healthcare professionals, who insist everything is fine even when you are convinced something is wrong.

Despite many patients experiencing situations where they think a doctor has dismissed them unfairly, Jayne believes the real issue often lies in the healthcare system as a whole. ‘I think medical gaslighting is often misunderstood,’ she explains. ‘Many people imagine it as a healthcare professional dismissing a patient’s concerns, and while that can happen, I believe the reality is often more complex.’

‘Healthcare systems are largely designed to diagnose and treat disease,’ she continues. ‘Yet many people seek help long before they receive a diagnosis. They know something has changed, but their symptoms may not fit neatly into a recognised condition or meet the threshold for investigation, treatment or diagnosis. This is where people can feel dismissed.’

Jayne stresses that just because someone doesn’t tick all the boxes required for a treatment or diagnosis, it doesn’t mean their symptoms are not valid. ‘The absence of evidence is not always evidence of absence,’ she explains. ‘Just because we cannot yet diagnose, measure or explain a problem doesn’t necessarily mean a person isn’t experiencing one.’

‘Patients experience changes gradually, often over many years,’ she continues. ‘But healthcare systems frequently rely on thresholds to trigger investigation, diagnosis, treatment or support. For example, as radiographers, we may see evidence of osteopenia on an X-ray long before osteoporosis develops. We can see that change is occurring, yet it may not meet the threshold that triggers further action.’

Why are my symptoms being dismissed?

Sometimes, a diagnosis is not possible because a specified threshold has not been met or a healthcare professional does not yet know the whole picture. ‘Often, no single symptom is significant enough on its own. Yet taken together, they tell a much bigger story. That can leave women feeling unheard, even when healthcare professionals are genuinely trying to help.’

Another thing to note is that diagnoses can often take longer than people might expect. ‘One thing I’ve learned in my career is that diagnoses rarely appear overnight,’ Jayne tells us. ‘For example, many women describe years of fatigue, poor sleep, anxiety, brain fog, joint pain, declining strength, loss of confidence in their bodies, or simply feeling unlike themselves before receiving any explanation.’

If you’re feeling medically dismissed, it’s common to feel the need to prove your symptoms – but without further testing or investigations, it can leave you feeling powerless. ‘One of the most common things I hear is: “I knew something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t prove it”,’ Jayne tells us.

Which symptoms are most commonly dismissed by doctors?

When it comes to the most commonly dismissed symptoms and conditions, Jayne admits that menopause is certainly up there. ‘Particularly when symptoms extend beyond the traditional conversation around hot flushes,’ she explains, opening up a whole other conversation about the gender divide in healthcare.

‘However, I also see symptoms linked to chronic inflammation, metabolic health, musculoskeletal health and healthy ageing being normalised because they develop gradually. Furthermore, fatigue, poor sleep, reduced resilience, aches and pains, slower recovery and brain fog are also often accepted as part of modern life.’

If people are concerned and suffering, why are these symptoms being repeatedly brushed aside? ‘Healthcare professionals work within the training, evidence, time constraints and systems available to them,’ Jayne tells us. ‘Historically, areas such as prevention, nutrition, lifestyle medicine and menopause have often received less emphasis than diagnosis and treatment pathways.’

Despite healthcare systems regularly overlooking certain symptoms or simply attributing them to ageing, Jayne emphasises that this is no excuse for individual healthcare professionals to outright ignore people’s concerns. ‘The problem is that common does not necessarily mean optimal,’ she explains. ‘Sometimes symptoms are dismissed because they don’t fit neatly into a diagnosis – other times they’re normalised because so many people experience them. Neither necessarily means they should be ignored.’

Signs of medical gaslighting to look out for

If you think you might be experiencing medical gaslighting, Jayne recommends looking out for the following signs. ‘One of the biggest signs is repeatedly leaving consultations feeling that your concerns have been acknowledged but not fully understood. People often describe being told that everything looks fine despite feeling that something has changed.’

‘Another sign is beginning to doubt your own observations, despite ongoing symptoms,’ she continues. After all, gaslighting in any form can make you deeply doubt your own judgement – so it’s vital to keep trusting your gut, even when a doctor is telling you otherwise.

However, it’s also important to remember that a single medical appointment will rarely be able to provide a full explanation for what you’re experiencing and why. ‘A good consultation doesn’t always provide immediate answers,’ Jayne explains, ‘but it should leave you feeling listened to, involved in decisions and clear about what happens next.’

How to advocate for yourself

So, you believe you’ve been unfairly dismissed by your doctor and you still have concerns – what can you do next? ‘Firstly, trust your observations,’ Jayne insists. ‘You know your own body better than anyone else and are often the first person to notice a change.’

‘Secondly,’ she continues, ‘keep a record of symptoms, sleep, energy, mood and anything else that seems relevant. Looking at changes over time can be incredibly valuable. And at your next appointment, don’t be afraid to ask questions, seek clarification or request a second opinion.’

It might feel like getting a diagnosis is the goal, but Jayne recommends taking a more open-minded approach. ‘Many people believe the goal is to get a label. I would argue the goal is understanding and improving your health. A diagnosis can be an important step in that journey, but it isn’t necessarily the destination.’

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Jayne Denton is a diagnostic radiographer, bone health specialist and the founder of Ravenstone Wellness.