Medical Gaslighting: It’s Not You, It’s Your Misdiagnosis

Medical Gaslighting Exposed. You’ve been going to psychotherapy for months, doing everything your doctor tells you, but it’s 5 steps forward, 5 steps back. When you voice your concerns, they’re brushed off or quick to prescribe a symptom suppressor😔 It's not just you – medical gaslighting occurs universally with high—functioning perfectionists especially if you identify as a woman, trans, non-binary or person of color. 

How to detect when your coach, counselor, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, clinician or doctor is doing more harm than help. Listen in for an eye-opening episode with strategies for perfectionist self-advocacy, navigating the lethal landmines of mental healthcare, partnering with the right perfectionist practitioner for you in the face of medical gaslighting and getting the care you deserve NOW that sees you as a whole person, not just a set of symptoms. Who seeks to understand, not to diagnose. 

Tired of waiting for “things to calm down” so you can FEEL better? Whether it's becoming much more DECISIVE in everything you do, the ability to fall asleep without obsessing over your to do list or PRESENCE with your family (no more catastrophizing) When you join Perfectionism Leveraged you get customized 1-1 coaching + the SKILLS you've never been taught that FREE you from sunk cost fallacy + lethal perfectionism landmines. Get your stress-free start today at https://courtneylovegavin.com/services

 Positive Perfectionist Practices To Deal With Medical Gaslighting:Stop Settling For Subpar Support: Raise your standards, refuse to accept quick diagnosis, be criminally curiousSeek Holistic Practitioners Who Understand The Depth of Perfectionism Look for a wellness framework foundation, who seek to understand you as a multifaceted individual, who partner with you instead of their own egoChallenge Assumptions: Be very DISCERNING about diagnoses without a CURRENT factual basis. Ask for evidence and don’t continue to stay with a therapist bc you’ve already spent so much time with themFind a Clinician Who Welcomes Candid Conversations:You want .facilitative, empowering, intersectional and  a professional who nurtures a non-hierarchical, inclusive, safe and transparent environmentOwn Your Capability: Recognize that your inner experience is VALID and advocate for the support and care you deserve. Make proactive moves to be the CEO of YOU and partner with practitioners who align with your values. Highlights inside Episode 199 of Perfectionism Rewired:

00:00-Feeling Dismissed? How To Spot Medical Gaslighting

02:13-Dangers of Deferring to External Authority

02:43-At Risk: People of Color, Women, Non-Binary + Trans

03:41-What does gaslighting mean for perfectionists

04:42- Obstacles of Symptom Suppression for High-Functioning Perfectionists

06:08-Illness vs. Wellness Frameworks + Holistic Approach

09:53-Health professionals pathologize, causing hypervigilance and reactivity.

10:43-Limitations of Medication in Treating Perfectionism

14:22-How to Respond To Gaslighting

14:34-IRL Gaslighting Examples: Life Coach School, Lizard Brain, Polyvagal Theory

15:12-Perfectionist Powerhouse Serena Williams' Experience with Medical Gaslighting

16-13-Practical Steps for Self-Advocacy in Medical Gaslighting

17:49-Choosing the Right Practitioner for YOU

18:24-Partnering with Perfectionist Affirming Practitioners

20:19-Empowering Yourself as CEO of Y.O.U,

 

Rich Resources Mentioned In This Gaslighting Episode:

Complete guide + FAQ about using your health insurance for coaching here: https://courtneylovegavin.com/insurance-cover-coachingDoctor Ready Template: fill-in-the-blank designed to simplify the process of gaining medical approvals. Download your Letter of Medical Necessity to use with your physician here: https://bit.ly/coaching-prescriptionNavigating Advocacy As A Perfectionist (Ep. 1 Self-Advocacy for Perfectionists Spotlight Series)Sunk Cost Fallacy (Ep. 2  Self-Advocacy for Perfectionists Spotlight Series)Are You Living In The Victim Triangle? (Perfectionism Rewired ep. 181)

 

HIGHLY CREDIBLE SOURCES ON MEDICAL GASLIGHTING REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE:  

‌‌Caron, C. (2022, July 29). Feeling dismissed? How to spot ‘medical gaslighting’ and what to do about it. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/29/well/mind/medical-gaslighting.htmlDurbhakula, S., & Fortin, A. H., 6th (2023). Turning Down the Flame on Medical Gaslighting. Journal of general internal medicine, 38(15), 3426–3427. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08302-4Ellenberg, E. (2023). Understanding the impact of medical gaslighting and diagnostic overshadowing on behavioral health treatment-seeking behaviors in adults with chronic medical conditions: A qualitative rapid review: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24534838.v1Farshad Fani Marvasti, & Stafford, R. S. (2012). From Sick Care to Health Care — Reengineering Prevention into the U.S. System. The New England Journal of Medicine, 367(10), 889–891. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmp1206230Fraser S. (2021). The toxic power dynamics of gaslighting in medicine. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 67(5), 367–368. https://doi.org/10.46747/cfp.6705367Friebe, M. (2022). From SICKCARE to HEALTHCARE to HEALTH. Springer EBooks, 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08191-0_3Mirin A. A. (2021). Gender Disparity in the Funding of Diseases by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Journal of women's health , 30(7), 956–963. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2020.8682Moyer, M. W. (2022, March 28). Women are calling out “medical gaslighting.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/well/live/gaslighting-doctors-patients-health.htmlNebeker, C., Weisberg, B., Hekler, E. B., & Kurisu, M. (2020). Using Self-Study and Peer-to-Peer Support to Change “Sick” Care to “Health” Care: The Patient Perspective. Frontiers in Digital Health, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2020.00002Onque, R. (2022). How to recognize 'medical gaslighting' and better advocate for yourself at your next doctor's appointment. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/01/medical-gaslighting-warning-signs-and-how-to-advocate-for-yourself.html

Perfectionism Rewired Ethics + Transparency:

Perfectionism Rewired podcast is brought to you by Perfectionist Solutions and is committed to neuroscience truth and accuracy through a perfectionism affirming lens.

What does Perfectionist Affirming mean? Perfectionism affirming is an empowered view where perfectionistic tendencies are not seen as deficits  to be “fixed” and nobody is a victim of perfectionism. Instead you are fully in charge of YOU, given tools for agency and perfectionism is leveraged to work for you. Part of neuorinclusivity movement that sees all humans as uniquely wired individuals who all experience the world differently.