You’d think that all medical professionals have your best interests at heart and want to accurately diagnose you. While the world is full of talented, empathetic, and knowledgeable doctors, nurses, surgeons, and specialists, far from everyone is like that. It would be naive to think so. Unfortunately, there are some truly rotten apples in the bunch.
Medical gaslighting is what happens when your doctor dismisses your health concerns. And it’s a serious issue with real-life consequences. The Young Lung Cancer Initiative, a non-profit that empowers young adults in the fight against cancer, recently went viral on Facebook. It asked patients to share their real diagnoses, even though their doctors didn’t take them seriously. These professionals attributed symptoms to anxiety, stress, or mental health.
Scroll down for these real-life stories. It’s a reminder to trust your gut and if something feels off, always get a second (or third!) opinion.
We reached out to the team at the Young Lung Cancer Initiative, and they were kind enough to answer our questions. You’ll find our interview with them below.
More info: Facebook | Website
Image credits: Young Lung Cancer Initiative
#1
Hashimoto’s. It took me 4 doctors in large hospitals until I found this doctor in a rural town that took one look at me and was like, “you have a severe thyroid issue. Let’s get you some help”. He has been a god send. The man is brilliant and he went toe to toe with my insurance for me to be treated properly. I know when his Cuban Spanish starts flowing, he has had enough.
According to Bianca and Leah from the Young Lung Cancer Initiative, the Facebook post came from “what we see so often in the young lung cancer community (people diagnosed at 50 or younger).”
“Delayed diagnosis is a major issue. Most are diagnosed at stage 4, and many spend a year or more trying to get answers. For young patients without a smoking history, lung cancer is often the last thing considered. That is not the case for every disease, but in our community, it is a big reason people are diagnosed so late,” the representatives explained to We in an email.
They said that they wanted to highlight the reality, as well as to hear from other people. “Medical gaslighting happens in many conditions, not just lung cancer.”
#2
Our pediatrician said my baby sister was making herself sick for attention… she had cancer.
#3
When I was 14, my doctor diagnosed me with “child who has a parent abroad” syndrome. I had kidney failure lol.
The team said that medical gaslighting is “far too common.” Especially for younger patients, women, and (with regards to lung cancer) individuals without a smoking history.
“It can happen when symptoms do not fit what a doctor expects or when early test results look normal. Time pressures and unconscious bias can make it worse,” they said.
They shared some practical advice for what to do if you feel that you’re being gaslit by medical professionals. “Write down your symptoms, when they started, how they have changed, and how they affect your life,” they suggested.
“Ask direct questions like ‘What else could this be?’ and ‘What is the next step if this does not improve?’ Do not be afraid to get a second opinion. If a doctor says ‘It is not cancer’ or ‘It is nothing to worry about,’ but your symptoms are still there, you deserve a diagnosis. You deserve to know what is happening in your body and you know your body best.”
They urged patients to trust themselves. “Many young lung cancer patients finally got answers because they kept pushing. That persistence can save your life.”
#4
Welp I just got told it’s a brain tumor yesterday 😅 turns out they were kinda right when they said it was “all in my head.”
#5
Almost died. I was in middle of having anaphylactic shock from a chemical in middle of iron infusion that I was allergic to. A nurse said it was just me having panic attack until I was throwing up all over and pooping and rash on body until they gave me allergy medicine. Scariest thing I ever went through. I was near death.
#6
The 4 times I was dismissed by doctors in one month in extreme pain they were all male. Wasn’t until I saw the first female doctor I finally taken seriously and it was stage 4 cancer!
The question shared by the Young Lung Cancer Initiative instantly went viral. At the time of writing, the post has a whopping 3.6 million views, 11.2k comments, and 6.5k likes. It feels validating to know that you’re not alone if you’ve ever felt like your doctor has dismissed your genuine health concerns.
Medical gaslighting can lead to inaccurate diagnoses and delayed treatment. The result? Your physical and mental health suffer. And, in some cases, you can even lose your life! On top of that, this damages society’s trust in the healthcare system as a whole. It’s bad for everyone.
Broadly speaking, some medical ‘professionals’ attribute your symptoms to stress, anxiety, and mental health issues. The underlying assumption that they make is that the patient is overexaggerating their symptoms.
Some of the main signs that your doctor may be gaslighting you include behaviors like:
Interrupting youNot listening to youDiminishing your symptomsBlaming your symptoms on your age, lifestyle, gender, sexual orientation, or weightLinking your symptoms to anxiety, depression, or stressRushing you through the appointment #7
Multiple sclerosis. Told I had health anxiety and I replied ‘I’ve anxiety because no one is f*****g listening to me!’
#8
Leukemia, I was “too young to be that sick ” so I must be dr shopping.
#9
I was heading into heart failure by the time they listened to me and my PCP who helped sent the first rheumatologist (a male) an envelope of glitter with my diagnosis and lab reports because he had told her I was an overweight female with mental health issues.
To be perfectly fair, not all medical gaslighting is intentional. There are situations where it is purely accidental. “The health care provider might have poor communication skills, or have limited time to speak with a patient, or not be medically knowledgeable enough to know what to do,” Dr. Jonathan M. Marron, a physician and director of clinical ethics at the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, told Harvard Business Review.
Furthermore, medical gaslighting can be rooted in the lack of medical knowledge. Some illnesses, diseases, and disorders still aren’t understood properly. It can be especially difficult if there’s no clear way to test for a diagnosis.
That being said, some medical gaslighting is the direct result of (un)conscious biases. “We know there is a significant amount of unconscious bias in the practice of medicine. Studies show that those from marginalized groups, especially women and people of color, are more likely to have their concerns or questions not taken seriously, which can be associated with worse health outcomes,” Dr. Marron told HBR.
#10
Bleeding every other week for 8 months: “that just happens sometimes.” Eventually switched docs. One investigative ultrasound later and it turned out I have 2 uteruses. Tada.
#11
“Just a headache” and ” hahahahahah you can’t have a hole in your head, it’s a solid bone”…. come to find out, I had a 6 inch rotting draining tube in my skull (the bone had started to grow over it) that was left in there from when I was a baby and had surgery.
#12
A 400lbs+ provider in the ED on Christmas day told me my abdominal pain and vomiting was because “you need to lay off the greesy food” I was 130lbs at most! 3 days later I had a positive pregnancy test… I now have an amazing almost 9yo son. I was unaware greesy food caused pregnancy. Who knew.
While it’s impossible to 100% avoid medical gaslighting, there are still things you can do to minimize the chances of this happening. Preparation is key here! As per HBR, when going to your doctor’s appointment, you should do the following:
Bring a journal where you’ve been tracking your symptomsBriefly and precisely explain your medical concernsHave a short list of questions for your doctorConsider bringing a trusted friend or relative with you so they can support you, take notes, and observe how the doctor interacts with you
Dr. Marron suggests that if you don’t know what to ask, you could prompt your doctor for help with, “If you were in my shoes, what should I be asking right now?” At the end of the appointment, you need to understand two things: the big-picture plan and the next steps you’ll be taking.
#13
Aplastic Anaemia (complete bone marrow failure) told I was probably stressed and running too much and to take a month off. Chemo, radio, and one bone marrow transplant later and the ‘anxiety’ has gone.
#14
Ulcerative colitis. Turns out, anxiety doesn’t make you s**t blood.
#15
The wildest time they told me I had anxiety was when I went to the ER because I couldn’t breathe and my hands were going numb and it was moving up my arms and legs. They literally treated me like an idiot and like they felt sorry for me because I was so ignorant…. It was Aniphilaxis… I have Alpha Gal (allergy to mammal products and by products) it’s a miracle I’m still alive at this point. Also, the Dr tried to get me to lay down and go to sleep. He said “it will go away if you just go to sleep” I said, yeah cause I’ll be dead… I laugh now but it wasn’t so funny at the time.
That being said, in some rare circumstances, the doctor is completely in the right, and the patient simply refuses to accept that they’re not sick. Hypochondria, aka illness anxiety disorder or health anxiety, means that a person is preoccupied with the idea that they’re ill, even when they have normal body sensations or minor issues.
According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the signs and symptoms of hypochondria include:
Being easily alarmed about your healthNot being reassured after visiting the doctor and getting negative test resultsExcessively worrying about specific medical conditionsBeing so distressed about falling ill that you can’t function properlyRepeatedly checking for signs of diseaseFrequently making medical appointments out of fearAvoiding people, places, and activitiesConstantly talking about your healthFrequently checking the internet for illness symptoms
With this in mind, if you’re worried about your health, you can and should go to a doctor’s appointment for tests. However, if your doctor believes that you may have hypochondria, they might refer you to a mental health professional.
So, you need to find a healthy balance between persistence and knowing when to actually trust experts.
#16
Not anxiety, but gas… My apendix burst the next day…
#17
Told me I couldn’t catch my breath and was having chest pains because I was having an anxiety attack (never had an anxiety attack in my life). Had a heart attack in the ER.
#18
Graves disease. Oh yeah..and 7 weeks solid of heavy bleeding and pain to the point of passing out was also brushed off 4 times as just “normal perimenopausal changes” until they removed a massive pendiculated fibroid from my uterus.
And when I kept trying to get help for my (then) infant daughter they told me my daughter didn’t have any problems and it was just me being an “over anxious first time mother” and actually wrote in hospital records that they thought I was potentially suffering from “paranoid delusions subsequent to post natal depression” because I told them I was sure she had a genetic disorder.. and gee..turned out it wasn’t just anxiety or delusions.
..she has a rare genetic syndrome.. Kabuki syndrome.
Also was told I had reflux when. I had gallstones and inflamed pancreas..shall I go on? So many horror stories.
Has a medical professional ever gaslit you, diminishing your symptoms even though you knew something was wrong? What happened, and what was your actual diagnosis?
If there are any doctors reading this today, how do you ensure that you don’t medically gaslight your patients? What do you do to accurately diagnose your patients?
Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this post.
#19
A doctor once told me (and documented) he wouldn’t scan my knee because he “didn’t want to feed my delusions”. I left ED in agony, got a private scan and had entirely cracked in half the cartilage in my knee.
#20
You’re pregnant….after just telling him I’m a lesbian, turned out to be a tumour.
#21
My friend had anaphylactic shock episode and the paramedics tried to tell her it was a panic attack – she nearly died
#22
The rarest form of Lung Fibrosis…
Doctors in the ICU scolded me, called me a lot of bad things and said it was anxiety, I was faking it and so on.
And last Monday morning paramedics didn’t believe that I fell unconscious and had bad convulsions on my kitchen floor even though I bit my tongue and everything… Went to the hospital later and it turned out I DID have convulsions AND I actually also broke my back, sprained my tailbone and pressed at least 8 ribs from the fall.
So yeah.
#23
Multiple Sclerosis-my original presentation was “just an anxiety attack.”
#24
I gotta lose weight to fix…. extra spinal fluid on my brain. Im sure that’ll work.
#25
Pulmonary Hypertension & COPD at 23 (yay me!!) Turns out I wasn’t just fat & lazy.
#26
My daughter: Dr said “POTS, Anxiety, Food allergies, In your head” Actually “Type 1 Diabetic”.
#27
SVT after being told it was just anxiety and even once after fainting in HS being told “well you know, 16 year old girls ‘swoon’ all the time.”
#28
Lupus, but it really was me being too stressed and not sleeping enough.
#29
My husband had 5 doctors say ‘well everything is coming back normal, so it must be anxiety’. We refused to accept that as his diagnosis and found out it was mold toxicity. In an instant, mold changed everything in our lives… never saw that on the bingo card for 2025.
#30
Breast Cancer…the shortness of breath and chest pain, just anxiety…oooookay!
#31
Chiari malformation, said it was just hormonal headaches. No sir my brain is shoving out of my skull!
#32
My mother, after her ‘initial anxiety’ diagnosis. Brain tumour, 9th documented person in the world to have this particular tumour in that spot in her brain. But hey ‘good news it’s not dementia.’
#33
My first son…3 years old…”Constipation, give him MiraLAX.”
Took him to ER that night…Complete Intestinal Malrotation with obstruction. Two big surgeries later and he’s nearly 12.
#34
I ended up with sepsis- went to the ED & the doctor barely looked at me and I was coughing up literal chunks of blood & had a super high fever. He sent me home, within hours I was nearly unresponsive & my mom begged the ER doctor to run more tests but they refused just saying I was being anxious & dramatic.
#35
Graves’ disease.
A regular customer of mine told me while serving him martinis.
Took one look at me and knew.
He saved me.
Nina Aleeah Prince replied:
its insane that its almost never doctors that figure it out. My most serious issues were figured out by friends or myself. I just asked the right doctors for the right tests, or showed them tests they’ve already done and missed to get a diagnosis.
#36
Ambulance crew said “you’re just having an anxiety attack.” Er Dr diagnosed it as a stroke. Quite a bit different really.
#37
Pulmonary embolisms, lung cancer. Because apparently if you’re 30 those things don’t happen…
#38
3 years to get a dx for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Given enough Ativan to choke a horse. That was 25 years ago.
#39
Secondary bacterial pneumonia with an SpO2 of 88 but I just needed “to calm down and breathe.”
#40
Atrial Septal Defect and open heart surgery that week.
For years it was “🙄 She’s so dramatic when she has to run.”
Also telling the Dr I thought I had asthma because my lungs burned so bad. “Just because your friend has asthma doesn’t mean you do.”
#41
Ankylosis Spondylitis, Fibromyalgia. But “I’m too young to be dealing with pain.”
#42
Diagnosed with Complex regional Pain Syndrome after I was told I’m “just dehydrated and need to suck it up.”
#43
Gall bladder stones. They said I was imagining the pain. 😂 They said I was too young at the time to have gall bladder stones hence why they didn’t bother doing an ultrasound and just assumed I was imagining it.
#44
Hyper active, anxiety, and self neglect. Been a nurse 10 years and just needed a vacation blah blah blah. I’m T1D and 1 year diaversary is in Oct. That 900 BG through everyone for a loop.
#45
Vitamin b6 toxicity! My nerves were literally frying. But I was told for weeks to just relax. 2 years later and I’m finally ok!
#46
Severe Mitral Stenosis & Regurgitation. I coded on the table twice after a crna told me I was having a panic attack… and she never gave me Versed so I remember ALL of it.
#47
Got told I’m healthy and there is nothing wrong with me, like 3 months later, Lyme disease…2 different types plus found out of a genetic mutation that can cause me to end up in a wheelchair by the time I’m in my 30s…
#48
Allergies, then bronchitis, then atypical pneumonia, then lung cancer.
#49
I had an alergic reaction called esophigitus from an oral medication for my asthma. The paramedics said I was over reacting and it was probably the flu.
#50
I was told a broken rib was heart burn. 2nd ED visit and another Dr. said if you can put your finger on it, it’s a rib.
#51
First it was gas LOL. Then it was a heart attack, then in was a hernia…..6 months later we were on a beach trip on the back of the Harley when the doctors at Myrtle Beach found out it was my gall bladder all along. Such an easy fix!!! Wish it hadn’t taken 6 months!!!
#52
I called the GP as i had a big lump under my arm pit. The GP receptionist told me to wait a month as it was nothing and would go. She then told me to wait a further 2 weeks for a phone call. Spoke to the GP she had me at the surgery inaide 30 mins and an urgent referral sent. 6 days later I was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer, 6 weeks later scans showed I was stage 4. That was almost 4 years ago now and im 45. I hate GP receptionists lol. Don’t worry, my GP still doesn’t understand my condition and they refuse to do my bloods ordered by oncology so it has to be the health board.
#53
Sepsis. . . I was literally dying.
#54
Anxiety / muscle pain, turned out I had three blood clots in my lungs.
#55
Stage 4 endometriosis and a fibroid the size of a melon. “I just needed to lose some weight and eat more spinach to get my iron up.”
#56
A stroke. Had a massive headache over weeks, nobody took this seriously. „You’re only 18, it’s your anxiety that makes it worse!”
#57
Bipolar 1 with psychotic features 🤣 they also told me if I lost some weight it would help.
#58
Got admitted to the hospital for 5 days, on oxygen for 3, for severe asthma exacerbation–on my 2nd visit to the ER that day. The nurse came in to pass me a medicine cup and said “The doctor ordered Ativan.” I pulled my hand back and asked why. She said “to calm me down.”
#59
“They said it was ‘just anxiety.’ Turns out it was:
– Mild TBI (19 head injuries)
– Central vestibular dysfunction
– Post-trauma vision syndrome
– Visual midline shift
– Sensory processing disorder
– Hyperacusis
But sure, let’s keep calling it anxiety.”
#60
Gastritis…after probably 8 different doctors suggested anxiety meds – even the gastroenterologist.
#61
Myocarditis, heart failure, and POTS after covid. ER PA wouldn’t even look at me in passing after he found out… He had said that after effects of co vid weren’t a thing anymore. Sad part… I’m an RN and I told him that something felt majorly wrong and requested an echo after an “Normal abnormal EKG”, he didn’t care and refused to order one.
#62
My just “anxiety” ended up being a blood cloth that almost took me out.
#63
“You’re just constipated”. Me, 3 weeks later getting emergency surgery because my gallbladder is about to explode.
#64
Cancer. Literally cancer💀 dude still said it was my anxiety with the biopsy results in his hand lmao.
#65
Sudden onset SOB in the mornings less in the afternoons. “Maybe you just need to get in shape you’re not hypoxic”. What about a pulmonologist. “You can if you want to….”
Allergic asthma to unscented hairspray I’d used for years. Not just out of shape.
#66
Massive heart attack two fully clogged arteries, four stints at 39. Sarcastically got to look at my Dr. And tell him you couldn’t diagnose an ear infection.
#67
Soooooo my heart rate taking off while laying on the couch at home was ‘anxiety’.
Given Xanax script that I ripped up. I actually had Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia and was properly medicated until successful ablation.
#68
I couldn’t even catch my breath walking around the house and I was told I just had post nasal drip (no runny nose at all). Next doctor sent me for an X-ray and it turns out I had pneumonia.
#69
AVP-D, previously known as Diabetes Insipidus! I was told I was anxiously drinking 12 litres of water a day, and that it had become a habit.
#70
My daughter even after fainting and she stopped breathing on THE ER. They said anxiety. It’s frikken POTS!
#71
Dysautonomia, POTS, Ehlers Danlos, MCAS, ME/CFS, Endometriosis and PCOS
But just anxiety and need to lose some weight… right?!
#72
Passed out while driving (with my kids in the car!!) and said it was just anxiety. SVT.
#73
They diagnosed me with Colon Cancer and I had Giardia and E. coli.
#74
Super ventricular tachycardia, oh and a broken back on a separate occasion. The paramedic told me I was being “hysterical”, (wasn’t even crying) and that there was absolutely zero chance my back was broken.
#75
Dr told me that my 4 month old son was refusing his bottle as he could feel my anxiety – after refusing to leave and demanding another dr see him he was diagnosed with cows with protein allergy and bottle aversion, but yeah – it’s was all me!
#76
Freakin epilepsy. Turns out I wasn’t just faking it.
#77
Was told im just getting older and literally “welcome to the bad back club”
turned out i had an L5 fracture, dislocated hip and pelvic area, sclerosing in multiple of my joints (arthritis) and to top it off i have flatback syndrome all while my spine tilts to the left side to compensate for the hips. I should be the poster child for the bad back club.
#78
I had a doctor tell me nothing is wrong I just need to loose weight. PTSP, Major depressive disorder, Anxiety.
#79
A blocked widow maker artery!
#80
Seizures. No, I wasn’t twitching because of anxiety.
#81
POTS and gastroparesis. I was throwing up multiple times a day. When I finally did a gastric emptying test I bombed it completely. Literally 0% of the food had been digested after 4 hours. (But no, I’m just nervous.)
#82
Irregular heart rhythm. Finally seen it on holter monitor reading after several times of being put on holter, and years of doctor visits with the same complaint: I literally feel my heart skipping beats, having extra beats, and beating off beat. They kept saying your heart looks normal it’s just anxiety.
#83
Chronic appendicitis over a 9 months span LOL they almost k**led me, I went to the ER 3 times.
#84
Blood Clot and a mass on my uterus..I kept being told to lose weight..eat less sodium..because that’s why my Right leg was non stop swollen for 6 months..lol
#85
Endo, PCOS, AU/ADD, perfectionism, CPTSD…. just had radical hysterctomy, thrown into full blown menopause … welcome to womanhood….😭…”here’s another pill… it’s just anxiety’…
#86
Liver disease (which, thankfully, I ended up beating).
#87
Severe iron deficiency which was another rabbit hole in itself.
#88
Chronic bronchitis when the ER doctor told me it was “just a cold, go home and eat some chicken soup (yes that was his actual advice… and I was vegan at the time which was also noted in my medical records)”…. I’d already had that “cold” for several months, which I HAD ALREADY TOLD HIM. It’s been 8 years since then.
#89
I got told if I lost weight my asthma would get better. He was really s****y. Turns out I just needed the cat to die.