Have You Experienced Medical Gaslighting?

Our Canadian health care system prides itself on providing equitable outcomes. The Canadian Health Act does go a long way to ensuring that all people can access care. The question is whether getting in the door ensures that people are treated equally.

The evidence is clear that women and people of colour face a more dismissive approach by their care providers. Some women are terming this “medical gaslighting”. Women are more likely to be misdiagnosed than men. They often feel that their concerns are not listened to.  For many years women and minorities were excluded from medical research so that there was less evidence about disease patterns in these populations.

One of the reasons for this disparity is something called implicit bias. We all have biases that are informed by things we have learned or absorbed from a very early age. The first step to mitigating these biases is a process of understanding one’s own inherent prejudices.  

There is now a growing body of literature that highlights the results of these biases. African Canadian patients are often less likely to be given adequate pain control for back pain. Women are more likely to have non-specific symptoms diagnosed as being psychosomatic. 

A recent New York Times Article entitled “Women are Calling out Medical Gastlighting” by Melinda Wenner Moyer, March 28, 2022 highlights a number of anecdotes that illustrate this.  The bottom line advice by the author is to persist. If you do not feel listened to, keep asking.  Share your fears and feelings about your symptoms and voice your concerns.

It is hopeful that teaching around implicit bias and about equity are part of current medical training.  It is up to patients to make their voices heard in the meantime.

Dr. Bhooma Bhayana is a family physician in London and the mother of two young men and proud grandmother of three! She continues to find wonder and enjoyment in family practice despite more than 30 years on the job!