Anxiety UK report - Gaslighting and Diagnostic Overshadowing

[Sleepybunny]

Anxiety UK have issued a report about gaslighting and diagnostic overshadowing which I'm sure some PAS forum members can relate to.

anxietyuk.org.uk/medical-ga...

I can definitely relate to it.

Gaslighting

When a doctor dismisses patient's symptoms or says that the symptoms are normal without further explanation

Diagnostic Overshadowing

When a doctor says symptoms are due to mental health issues or a learning disability without looking into other possible causes.

How many of us have been told that it's all due to being depressed or anxious or to being a hypochondriac, to having FND (functional neurological disorder), MUPS (Medically Unexplained Symptoms) etc.....

I'm not a health professionals so please correct my explanations if needed.

[PlatypusProfit8077]

I commented on your post from the PAS article but yes, it’s insane the amount of medical staff who see fit to shut down discussion, scoff or demean questions and dismiss patient experience.

A neurologist who sniffs and says “B12? Why would I look into B12? I look at important things, not vitamins.”

An ER doctor who laughs at my tears and says “you’ve seemed a bit upset so we think your symptoms must be psychosomatic.” And who sighed and rolled his eyes about me requiring a wheelchair to go into the consult room despite me not being able to walk properly the whole time I was in the emergency. Who then put the wheelchair just out of reach to test what I would do and how I would get in it.

A GP who rolls their eyes at my insistence that something is still wrong.

I’m still a person.

[Muttilina in reply to PlatypusProfit8077]

what loonies we have for Doctors,

[deniseinmilden]

Totally.

It's endemic in the consultants at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, to the point that the other staff advise I go to other hospitals and I've decided that I will ask for all referrals to be done elsewhere in future, as there's obviously a problem with the selection panel who hire them.

The nurses and other medical staff there are absolutely brilliant and wonderful, and it's such a shame that they are so let down by the "Think They Are God's" who get paid too much for nothing useful.

At least it gives me firm ground to counter any derogatory comments about my health research and self-treatment!!!

[Pa234aw]

I can relate to this. Since I was diagnosed with B12 deficiency and probable PA a year ago, on numerous occasions my GP has tried to get me on to antidepressants because I seem ‘anxious’. Just yesterday my neurologist prescribed Pregabalin for neuropathy by its also used to treat anxiety. I’ll be the first to admit that my levels of anxiety have increased but the rush to prescribe antidepressants over doing a good and thorough job on treating the deficiency prevails. Neither by GP or neurologist have any clear idea on how to treat the deficiency other than ‘standard’ loading doses and 3 monthly injections.

[Sleepybunny in reply to Pa234aw]

I was given three different antidepressants to try.

None of them worked ...mental health symptoms only improved when I started B12 treatment and I was forced to treat myself.

I kept being told depression was causing my physical symptoms and I kept saying I was depressed because my symptoms stopped me living the life I wanted to. At times I felt very pressured to agree with them.

You have my empathy.

"Neither by GP or neurologist have any clear idea on how to treat the deficiency other than ‘standard’ loading doses and 3 monthly injections."

Have you tried writing them a short letter?

b12info.com/writing-to-your...

[Pa234aw]

Sleepybunny….I’ve written several letters! I’ve even tried a private ‘specialist’ with mixed results. Doing things myself now through trial and error but I often come round to the thought that perhaps it’s ’something else’ not just the B12 deficiency.

[Sleepybunny in reply to Pa234aw]

B12 deficiency can cause so many symptoms....at one point I had more than 50 symptoms and most of my body systems were affected.

I think some of the doctors thought I was making it up.