Gaslighting

Gaslighting in Healthcare: When Patients Are Made to Doubt Themselves

At AKG Advocacy, we believe that no one should ever feel dismissed, disbelieved, or defeated while trying to get the care they need.
Yet one of the most common and damaging experiences we hear about is gaslighting — not just from medical providers, but from insurance companies, pharmacy benefit managers, and the system as a whole.

What Is Gaslighting?

Gaslighting happens when someone manipulates you into doubting your own reality, memory, or understanding.
In healthcare, it often looks like this:

• Being told “your symptoms are in your head.”

• Hearing “your medication isn’t necessary” when your doctor prescribed it.

• Being told “your coverage doesn’t include that” when your policy clearly says it does.

• Being made to feel like you’re overreacting for asking questions or advocating for yourself.

It’s subtle. It’s systematic. And it’s designed to make you question your own judgment — so you stop pushing back.

Medical Gaslighting: When Providers Dismiss or Minimize

Medical gaslighting happens when a healthcare provider invalidates your lived experience instead of listening or investigating further.

You might hear things like:

• “You’re just anxious.”

• “You’ve been reading too much online.”

• “Your labs are fine — there’s nothing wrong.”

While sometimes unintentional, this can cause deep harm. It delays diagnoses, increases suffering, and damages trust between patients and providers.

Common targets of medical gaslighting:

• Women and people with chronic pain

• Individuals with invisible illnesses (like Ehlers-Danlos, POTS, fibromyalgia)

• People of color

• Disabled and neurodivergent patients
  
  

When someone knows their body and is still ignored, it’s not “noncompliance” — it’s neglect disguised as professionalism.

Insurance Gaslighting: When Bureaucracy Becomes Manipulation

Insurance gaslighting happens when companies use vague, misleading, or contradictory language to make patients doubt what they know or give up fighting a denial.

It sounds like:

• “That’s not covered.” (but it actually is, under a different code or formulary tier)

• “Your doctor didn’t fill this out correctly.” (even though they did)

• “You can appeal, but it probably won’t change anything.”

• “We don’t cover that medication because it’s not FDA-approved.” (even when federal guidance allows exceptions)

These tactics are not random — they’re part of a larger pattern designed to exhaust patients into compliance.
It’s not just frustrating. It’s psychological manipulation built into policy.

Why Gaslighting Works

Gaslighting preys on vulnerability.
When you’re sick, tired, in pain, or financially strained, it’s easier to doubt yourself.
The system counts on that.

But when patients start documenting, organizing, and speaking up — the power shifts.
That’s where advocacy begins.

How to Protect Yourself

1. Document everything.
Write down dates, times, names, and summaries of every interaction — whether it’s with a doctor or an insurer.

2. Ask for clarity in writing.
If something doesn’t sound right, ask them to send the policy or statement by mail or through your portal.

3. Bring a witness or advocate.
Another set of ears changes the dynamic and keeps conversations accountable.

4. Stay calm, but assertive.
You don’t need to match their tone — just hold your ground and stick to facts.

5. Know your rights.
You have the right to appeal, the right to a second opinion, and the right to be treated with dignity.

AKG Advocacy’s Mission

Gaslighting in healthcare isn’t just an individual experience — it’s a systemic failure.
Our goal is to:

• Educate patients and caregivers about their rights,

• Equip them with scripts, tools, and templates to fight back,

• And rebuild confidence after being dismissed, denied, or disbelieved.
  
  

Because your story matters.
Your pain is real.
And you are not “difficult” — you are determined.

“They call it advocacy when a provider does it for a patient — but ‘noncompliance’ when a patient does it for themselves.  At AKG Advocacy, we’re changing that narrative.”

Key Statistics

• A recent report by ECRI (an independent nonprofit focused on patient safety) says that in a 2023 survey, over 94% of respondents reported instances in which they felt their symptoms were ignored or dismissed by a doctor — a phenomenon the report characterizes as “medical gaslighting.” healthjournalism.org+1

• In that same ECRI-linked survey: 58% of respondents said their symptoms worsened after a doctor dismissed their concerns, and 28% said they experienced a health emergency as a result of the provider’s lack of response. fiercehealthcare.com+1

• For a specific condition: In a cross-sectional study of patients with vulvovaginal pain, 52.8% said they had considered ceasing care because their concerns were not addressed, 41.6% had been told they “just needed to relax more,” 39.4% said they were made to feel “crazy,” and 20.6% were referred to psychiatry without medical treatment. JAMA Network

• Among the LGBTQ+ population (U.S. representative sample), 46.5% reported experiencing medical-related gaslighting vs 26.5% of cisgender/heterosexual people (odds ratio ~1.75-2.80). Frontiers

• According to a survey of women (millennial demographic), 72% say they’ve felt gas-lighted by a medical professional. Mira Fertility Shop+2DC Journal - InsideSources+2

• A survey of chronic illness patients found that over 94% felt ignored/dismissed by their doctors and 61%+ said they’d been blamed for their symptoms or made to feel like they were “making it up.” HealthCentral