Gaslighting is a term that comes from the movie Gaslight, which was made in the 1940s. In the film, one character manipulates his spouse, trying to make her think that she is out of touch with reality. He does this by making changes to that reality, such as dimming the gas lights without telling her.
Today, gaslighting generally refers to when one person tries to make another question their own perceptions.
For instance, perhaps you are experiencing serious health concerns. You have a variety of strange symptoms and can’t figure out what’s happening. When you talk to your doctor, they just brush off these concerns. Maybe they act like you’re being too dramatic or making something out of nothing. Perhaps they simply don’t seem to be taking your symptoms seriously. Your doctor makes you feel like it’s all in your head or that you’re simply “making up” the issue.
You know your symptoms are real, but this type of gaslighting makes you question your perceptions, and you end up doubting what reality truly is.
Why does this happen?
This often happens with “invisible” issues. For instance, someone may be suffering from chronic pain or an immune deficiency disease. It’s difficult for the doctor to see or truly understand the symptoms. As a result, they may start questioning whether those symptoms are real, rather than trying to find a medical solution.
Maternal mortality issues
One example can be found when looking at maternal mortality rates. For African-American women, mortality rates while pregnant are higher than they are for Caucasian women. At the same time, African-American women report mistreatment by medical professionals at a much higher rate. They even report being scolded or shouted at by their healthcare providers. In some cases, they say that doctors would withhold treatment or try to talk them into unnecessary treatments.
Gaslighting could certainly be a part of this process, perhaps because the doctor is unfamiliar with the patient’s experience or has other biases that cause them not to believe the patient is accurately reporting their symptoms. In this sense, gaslighting is very serious because it could directly increase maternal mortality rates for specific groups.
Do you feel that you have been mistreated by your medical team and that it perhaps constitutes medical malpractice? Be sure you know about all of the legal options at your disposal.