‘Medical Gaslighting’ of women and people of color, including for mTBI

By Claire Holmes. This article was initially published in our Concussion Update newsletter; please consider subscribing.

“Medical Gaslighting” is the subject of an article by New York Times journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer, who also spoke with MedPage Today about the topic. “Medical Gaslighting” is used to describe situations where patients are frustrated after “dismissive experiences with medical professionals.” A typical example of this gaslighting is doctors attributing women’s symptoms to psychological issues rather than treating women for physical health concerns. One study “found that women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with a mental illness when their symptoms are actually consistent with heart disease.”

People of color have also expressed similar experiences while trying to receive medical care. According to researcher Karen Lutfey Spencer, “We know that women, and especially women of color, are often diagnosed and treated differently by doctors than men are, even when they have the same health conditions.”

Some of these biases may stem from research historically focused on male patients. Women can present different symptoms than men for the same condition, and, without adequate research, some medical professionals may not be able to understand these differences. A lack of knowledge can lead to these dismissive tendencies toward female patients. Current research is moving to include women and BIPOC, “but the medical literature still very much skews towards male biology and how men present with different diseases.”

Moyer references a 2020 study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma by Ana Mikolić et al., entitled “Differences between Men and Women in Treatment and Outcome after Traumatic Brain Injury.” This study shows that women receive less medical care following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Investigators also report that women had more severe and longer-lasting symptoms along with a slower recovery period, “but the size of differences depend on TBI severity and age.” 

Dr. Alyson McGregor suggests, “until more changes occur, women and patients of color might want to consider bringing a friend or relative with them to their medical appointments,” and “see another doctor if you feel dismissed.”