Psychologisation

The study cautions against casual use of the term 'medical gaslighting', noting it specifically refers to psychological abuse that causes victims to doubt their own perceptions. Participants reported not being taken seriously, not being listened to, and having their symptom descriptions questioned by clinicians. A recurring problem was that some clinicians attributed patients' physical post-COVID symptoms exclusively to psychological causes. Patients were told their symptoms were depression, psychosis, or other mental health conditions rather than physical illness. Some participants were prescribed antidepressants without receiving an adequate explanation of why.