A short YouTube video (creator: Dr. Nicole Cain) giving practical advice for people who suspect they are experiencing medical gaslighting. Key recommendations: keep detailed visit records, bring an advocate, obtain and review medical records (HIPAA rights), change clinicians if not heard, and report abusive clinicians to their state medical board (via FSMB).
Chapters
Here's what you need to do if you think that you're enduring medical gaslighting, be sure to keep a detailed records of all your visits. Write everything down and make sure to keep notes. If you feel like your clinician is doubting or invalidating what you're saying is happening, then bring in an advocate, somebody to be there with you, hear you, and make sure that they're advocating for you. Also make sure that you get copies of your records. You have a legal right under HIPAA to make sure that whatever the doctor is documenting is accurate and you can have it change changed if it isn't. And here's the biggest one I want you to know, and that is that you have a right to change doctors. If you're not being heard, if you're not being respected, if you're being invalidated and you aren't feeling like this doctor is going to take you seriously, then you have the right to find a different clinician. If it's really abusive, if it's really severe gaslighting, you also have the right to report that doctor to their medical licensure board. Here's how to report you go to.
Www.Fsmb.Org and then you find out what state that your clinician is in and you can look them up and send a message to their medical board.
If your clinician is refusing to discuss your symptoms, take you seriously, order appropriate testing, and if they're telling you that it's all in your head or that you're invalid, it's time to consider that you might be dealing with medical gaslighting.
