I couldn't agree more. Just within my family, this has happened numerous times. Before I was born, my mom had all kinds of physical symptoms and doctors were unable to find the cause-- so they told her it was all in her head. For years, she would get sicker and sicker and the doctors kept saying it was all psychological. Well, finally, when she got bells palsy and couldn't move her face or her legs, they sent her to a specialist who diagnosed her with advanced MS. Had the doctors taken her seriously and got her on medication years earlier, I wonder if I would have had a "mom."

Now, I'm having an impossible time getting the medical care I need for serious neck problems that have been going on for 4 years. I've been to a handful of doctors, and none of them can figure out exactly what's wrong. My GP has known me for many years and knows that I'm not "faking it." I've never had a mental health condition, I've never complained about any other pains that did not have a clear diagnosis, I refuse to take pain meds because I want to find he source of the problem rather than mask it with meds that could hinder my career performance, etc. I also have other diagnosed medical problems, and have already had surgery twice this year (and I'm only 28). Both of my parents have auto-immune and neurological disorders, and it's not exactly surprising that I have some of the same symptoms. However, the neurologist I got sent to told me that, while I have other "real" diagnoses, the neck pain is "all in my head" because he can't find the source. So, he wrote something in my medical file that basically says I'm a hypochondriac. Well, two days after he sent me home by saying that I'm "fine," I passed out on the sidewalk in the snow in front of my office-- and laid there for who knows how long until someone found me. After that, I was so angry I went online and looked up the doctor-- turns out there are all kinds of complaints filed against him by women saying "he told me my problem was all in my head-- then I ended up in the hospital with a life threatening condition." So, I'd be very, very wary about telling a patient that their problem was "all in their head" just because a doctor couldn't diagnose the problem. I still don't know exactly what is wrong with my neck-- or why tweaking my neck causes me to pass out and go blind temporarily-- and because of this doctor's note in my file, I have a hard time finding other doctors who will take me seriously. So, I continue to live with pain every day, and am very careful about not turning/twisting my neck, lest I pass out again (it also happened in the middle of a yoga class, and a few other times). My T says that I shouldn't have to live like this-- I'm obviously not crazy; my symptoms are obviously real-- but I don't have the time or money to spend going to more doctors who won't take me seriously and won't be able to help me. I'm a professor, so hopefully I won't pass out while I'm teaching a lecture hall full of students!