Aston sought medical help after her symptoms—which included severe migraines, abdominal pain, joint dislocations, easy bruising, iron deficiency, fainting, tachycardia, and multiple injuries—began in 2015, per the New Zealand Herald. She was referred to Auckland Hospital, where a doctor accused her of causing her own illness. Because of his accusations, Aston was placed on psychiatric watch.
Research suggests women are often much more likely to be misdiagnosed than men. A 2009 study of patients with heart disease symptoms found 31.3 per cent of middle-aged women “received a mental health condition as the most certain diagnosis”, compared to just 15.6 per cent of their male counterparts. Additionally, a 2020 study found that as many as 75.2 per cent of patients with endometriosis—a painful disorder that affects the tissue of the uterus—had been misdiagnosed after they started experiencing endometriosis symptoms. Among those women, nearly 50 per cent were told they had a “mental health problem”.
I have a friend who was experiencing pain in her abdomen for weeks. 3 doctors in a row just told her she was fat and sent her home. When she finally got a doctor who was willing to practice medicine, it turned out she had an active infection on the verge of sepsis and undiagnosed PCOS that had developed into tumors on her ovaries. Had she not sought a fourth opinion, she would be dead and the doctors that bullied her out of their offices to make room for patients with “real problems” would face no sanction at all.