When Doctors Dismiss Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Research Shows That FMS is Not All In Your Head
Feb 10, 2009
Up until recently, when a person complained of the symptoms now attributed to fibromyalgia syndrome, everyone chalked them up to other things. Although attitudes are changing, this still happens in many doctors' offices today.
Doctors Didn't Take Women Seriously
The person complaining was usually a woman, not because men don’t suffer from fibromyalgia (they do), but because it wasn’t acceptable for men to complain about it. Additionally, it is because men don’t go to the doctor as much as women do (The New York Times cites studies which show that men make 150 million fewer visits to the doctor each year).
Although chauvinistic and incorrect, the internal thought process of a physician or other listener often went like this:
- She says she’s fatigued. Well, she’s a wife and mother. She takes care of all of the housework, childcare, and errands, so of course she’s going to be worn out most days. Symptom ignored.
- She says she gets confused and has difficulty concentrating and making decisions. Well, she’s a woman. They’re all feeble-minded, aren’t they? Symptom ignored.
- She says her muscles hurt, even though she “didn’t do anything” to make them hurt. Muscles don’t hurt “for no reason.” Either it’s in her head, or she’s a wimp, or she must be doing something that causes the pain - like housework, lifting children…right. Symptom ignored.
People who complained of the numerous and variable common symptoms of FMS were chalked up as hypochondriacs, not only by their physicians, but also by their friends and family members. Some patients accepted that diagnosis, but some insisted that there was a reason for their pain.
Around the turn of the 21st century, it became more likely that a doctor would recognize the existence of fibromyalgia syndrome. At the time of this writing, many physicians still think that fibromyalgia is not real. In a non-scientific survey conducted for the purpose of this and other articles, 40% of those physicians sampled said they “don’t believe in” fibromyalgia, and 85% said they “refuse to or are very reluctant to prescribe pain medications” for fibromyalgia sufferers. These figures are similar to patient reports, but some patients report the “don’t believe in” figure to be higher. While the attitude is changing, myths do abound and many people still don’t believe that FMS exists. Skepticism is still the most common reaction reported by fibromyalgia patients.
Research validates what fibromyalgia patients have been saying for decades: it is not “in their heads.” Experts now know that it is in at least their brains and in their central nervous systems, and they feel it everywhere. When doctors listen to the patient and to the research findings instead of the myths, progress is possible. Cooperation between patient and practitioner is vital for successfull management of this and other medical conditions.
