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According to Bianca and Leah from the Young Lung Cancer Initiative, the Facebook post came from "what we see so often in the young lung cancer community (people diagnosed at 50 or younger)."
"Delayed diagnosis is a major issue. Most are diagnosed at stage 4, and many spend a year or more trying to get answers. For young patients without a smoking history, lung cancer is often the last thing considered. That is not the case for every disease, but in our community, it is a big reason people are diagnosed so late," the representatives explained to Bored Panda in an email.
They said that they wanted to highlight the reality, as well as to hear from other people. "Medical gaslighting happens in many conditions, not just lung cancer."
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The team said that medical gaslighting is "far too common." Especially for younger patients, women, and (with regards to lung cancer) individuals without a smoking history.
"It can happen when symptoms do not fit what a doctor expects or when early test results look normal. Time pressures and unconscious bias can make it worse," they said.
They shared some practical advice for what to do if you feel that you're being gaslit by medical professionals. "Write down your symptoms, when they started, how they have changed, and how they affect your life," they suggested.
"Ask direct questions like 'What else could this be?' and 'What is the next step if this does not improve?' Do not be afraid to get a second opinion. If a doctor says 'It is not cancer' or 'It is nothing to worry about,' but your symptoms are still there, you deserve a diagnosis. You deserve to know what is happening in your body and you know your body best."
They urged patients to trust themselves. "Many young lung cancer patients finally got answers because they kept pushing. That persistence can save your life."
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The question shared by the Young Lung Cancer Initiative instantly went viral. At the time of writing, the post has a whopping 3.6 million views, 11.2k comments, and 6.5k likes. It feels validating to know that you’re not alone if you’ve ever felt like your doctor has dismissed your genuine health concerns.
Medical gaslighting can lead to inaccurate diagnoses and delayed treatment. The result? Your physical and mental health suffer. And, in some cases, you can even lose your life! On top of that, this damages society’s trust in the healthcare system as a whole. It’s bad for everyone.
Broadly speaking, some medical ‘professionals’ attribute your symptoms to stress, anxiety, and mental health issues. The underlying assumption that they make is that the patient is overexaggerating their symptoms.
Some of the main signs that your doctor may be gaslighting you include behaviors like:
- Interrupting you
- Not listening to you
- Diminishing your symptoms
- Blaming your symptoms on your age, lifestyle, gender, sexual orientation, or weight
- Linking your symptoms to anxiety, depression, or stress
- Rushing you through the appointment
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To be perfectly fair, not all medical gaslighting is intentional. There are situations where it is purely accidental. “The health care provider might have poor communication skills, or have limited time to speak with a patient, or not be medically knowledgeable enough to know what to do,” Dr. Jonathan M. Marron, a physician and director of clinical ethics at the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, told Harvard Business Review.
Furthermore, medical gaslighting can be rooted in the lack of medical knowledge. Some illnesses, diseases, and disorders still aren’t understood properly. It can be especially difficult if there’s no clear way to test for a diagnosis.
That being said, some medical gaslighting is the direct result of (un)conscious biases. “We know there is a significant amount of unconscious bias in the practice of medicine. Studies show that those from marginalized groups, especially women and people of color, are more likely to have their concerns or questions not taken seriously, which can be associated with worse health outcomes," Dr. Marron told HBR.
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While it’s impossible to 100% avoid medical gaslighting, there are still things you can do to minimize the chances of this happening. Preparation is key here! As per HBR, when going to your doctor’s appointment, you should do the following:
- Bring a journal where you’ve been tracking your symptoms
- Briefly and precisely explain your medical concerns
- Have a short list of questions for your doctor
- Consider bringing a trusted friend or relative with you so they can support you, take notes, and observe how the doctor interacts with you
Dr. Marron suggests that if you don’t know what to ask, you could prompt your doctor for help with, “If you were in my shoes, what should I be asking right now?” At the end of the appointment, you need to understand two things: the big-picture plan and the next steps you’ll be taking.
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That being said, in some rare circumstances, the doctor is completely in the right, and the patient simply refuses to accept that they’re not sick. Hypochondria, aka illness anxiety disorder or health anxiety, means that a person is preoccupied with the idea that they’re ill, even when they have normal body sensations or minor issues.
According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the signs and symptoms of hypochondria include:
- Being easily alarmed about your health
- Not being reassured after visiting the doctor and getting negative test results
- Excessively worrying about specific medical conditions
- Being so distressed about falling ill that you can’t function properly
- Repeatedly checking for signs of disease
- Frequently making medical appointments out of fear
- Avoiding people, places, and activities
- Constantly talking about your health
- Frequently checking the internet for illness symptoms
With this in mind, if you’re worried about your health, you can and should go to a doctor’s appointment for tests. However, if your doctor believes that you may have hypochondria, they might refer you to a mental health professional.
So, you need to find a healthy balance between persistence and knowing when to actually trust experts.
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And when I kept trying to get help for my (then) infant daughter they told me my daughter didn't have any problems and it was just me being an "over anxious first time mother" and actually wrote in hospital records that they thought I was potentially suffering from "paranoid delusions subsequent to post natal depression" because I told them I was sure she had a genetic disorder.. and gee..turned out it wasn't just anxiety or delusions.
..she has a rare genetic syndrome.. Kabuki syndrome.
Also was told I had reflux when. I had gallstones and inflamed pancreas..shall I go on? So many horror stories.
Has a medical professional ever gaslit you, diminishing your symptoms even though you knew something was wrong? What happened, and what was your actual diagnosis?
If there are any doctors reading this today, how do you ensure that you don’t medically gaslight your patients? What do you do to accurately diagnose your patients?
Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this post.
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