Medical gaslighting as a mechanism for medical trauma
Case studies and analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21622711 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Devora Shapiro (0000-0003-4848-6639, Ohio University, corresponding author), Anna Hayburn (Cleveland Clinic) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 45 |
| Pages | 34747-34760 |
| Publication date | 2024-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Current Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1046-1310 • E-ISSN: 1936-4733 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12144-024-06935-0 |
| OpenAlex | W4404506893 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 50 |
Being dismissed or disparaged by medical professionals can be shocking and demoralizing for patients, leading to unnecessary harms (e.g., avoidance of medical treatment; depression; shame). This difficulty is further compounded when patients are also the target of wide-ranging stigmatization due to the nature of the medical and behavioral diagnoses they carry, and/or the social identities attributed to them by medical providers. Incorporating both clinical psychology and medical ethics perspectives, two clinical cases are presented demonstrating the insidious nature of the harms incurred to patients from traumatic medical experiences like those described above. Both cases are shown to illustrate the role that a particular form of gaslighting– medical gaslighting – plays in creating the conditions that result in a form of medical trauma . The term “medical gaslighting” currently lacks a clear and stable definition in the larger literature; the authors develop and establish a definition here. The case of Alex is offered, illustrating a standard form of medical trauma recognized in the literature, and the significance of epistemic injustice in preparing the grounds for medical gaslighting . Next, the case of Kiara is considered, in order to demonstrate how medical gaslighting becomes the vehicle for a more subtle form of medical trauma, not currently captured in standard diagnostic criteria. The claims presented here are testable, and the authors suggest that further work expanding the conceptual reach of medical trauma, and incorporating the concept of medical gaslighting into standard practice, is warranted
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Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Challenges and opportunities in examining and addressing intersectional stigma and health
National Estimates of Exposure to Traumatic Events and PTSD Prevalence Using DSM-IV and DSM-5 Criteria
The long-term costs of traumatic stress
Physicians and Implicit Bias
Beyond a trauma-informed approach and towards shame-sensitive practice
“It’s Not in Your Head”
Clinician-associated traumatization from difficult medical encounters
Long covid and medical gaslighting
Epistemic injustice in healthcare
Epistemic Injustice and Illness
Racial gaslighting
The Problem With the Phrase Women and Minorities
Illnesses you have to fight to get
| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |