For Heads Sake
I want to give 100% of the inspiration for this post to a podcast I listened to. For Heads Sake is brought to us by the National Headache Foundation and is hosted by Dr. Lindsay Weitzel, Ph.D. In this specific episode she asks Dr. Melissa Geraghty, Psy.D. about the effects of medical gaslighting and what we can do about it.
Podcast For Head’s Sake. Season 3, Episode 3. Or watch on YouTube (below this article)
What is medical gaslighting?
When a healthcare professional dismisses our symptoms, or assumes we are over exaggerating. It can be experienced with family, friends or in the workplace as well. (Dr. Geraghty)
From the podcast’s intro: Medical gaslighting can result in a form of medical trauma, and it can alter the manner in which we interact with the healthcare system. It can make you feel sicker, cause you to shut down, or to question yourself and the validity of your pain. It can also make you feel helpless or angry.
What I’ve heard with medical gaslighting
Clients who come to see me with chronic pain, trigeminal neuralgia, headaches or TMJ pains have shared some of what they’ve experienced at their doctor’s offices.
Trivializing, could sound like, “You are over reacting about your jaw pain. Just eat soft foods for a few months and put some heat on it, you’ll be fine.” “That condition doesn’t hurt that bad.”
A painful one to hear is, “If you just weren’t so anxious / got mental health therapy / did stress reduction, you’ll find the root of your pain and it will just go away.” Meaning, your pain is all in your head. “This pain would go away if you just lost weight.”
“Well, we don’t see anything on your scans, so there is nothing that can be done.” “I’ve seen worse,” then not following up with any treatment for the issues presented.
What you’ll learn from the podcast
These doctors, both with a history of migraine and chronic pain themselves, will inform you on different types of medical gaslighting, actual examples, how to move forward after experiencing this. It can be complicated because sometimes, due to the nature of your issue / disability, you may need to work with the provider in the future.
Heads Up podcast on medical gaslighting. Chronic pain, migraine, TMJD
