Study explores medical gaslighting and its effects on Canadians [Video]

The University of Windsor is working with Canadians who are sharing their stories of medical gaslighting.

“This kind of thing can lead to death,” said Marissa Rakus, study coordinator.

“It was extremely traumatic,” said Katrina Dobson, a victim of medical gaslighting.

While a newly-coined term, medical gaslighting has been around for decades, affecting mostly women and minority groups.

Medical gaslighting can be described as the experience of being disbelieved, not taken seriously, and dismissed by medical providers – with many health issues being reduced to weight, hormones or mental health problems.

Katrina has been diagnosed with a variety of chronic illnesses like Eagles syndrome, a rare bone disease that causes sharp pain in the neck; hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic connective tissue disorder; and mast cell activation syndrome, a condition that causes reoccurring allergic reactions.

She has experienced medical gaslighting in more than one situation – almost costing her life. “I sat in the …