The rise of invalidation in medicine

Authors

  • M P Beukes-King President PainSA, private practice, Tzaneen, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2026.v116i1.4249

Keywords:

Invalidation, Medical Gaslighting, Validation in medicine, patient dignity

Abstract

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References

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4. Sebring JCH. Towards a sociological understanding of medical gaslighting in western health care. Sociol Health Illness 2021;43(9):1951-1964. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13367

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8. Pettersson A, Berterö CM. How women with endometriosis experience health care encounters. Womens Health Rep 2020;1(1):529-542. https://doi.org/10.1089/whr.2020.0028

9. Opland C, Torrico TJ. Psychotherapy and therapeutic relationship. Treasure Island: StatPearls Publishing; 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK564368/ (accessed 9 June 2025).

10. LightbourneA,FoleyS,DempseyM,CroninM.Livingwithendometriosis:Areflexivethematicanalysis examining women’s experiences with the Irish healthcare services. Qual Health Res 2024;34(4):311-322. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323231214114

11. Desta R, Blumrosen C, Laferriere HE, et al. Interventions incorporating therapeutic alliance to improve medication adherence in black patients with diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease: A systematic review. Patient Prefer Adherence 2022;16:3095-3110. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S371162

12. Chang JG, Roh D, Kim CH. Association between therapeutic alliance and adherence in outpatient schizophrenia patients. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci 2020;18(1):113-121. https://doi.org/10.9758/ cpn.2020.18.1.113

13. Zolnierek KB, DiMatteo MR. Physician communication and patient adherence to treatment: A meta- analysis. Med Care 2009;47(8):826-834. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0b013e31819a5acc

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Published

2026-02-09

Issue

Section

Perspectives/opinion articles

How to Cite

1.
Beukes-King MP. The rise of invalidation in medicine. S Afr Med J [Internet]. 2026 Feb. 9 [cited 2026 Apr. 19];116(1):e4249. Available from: https://www.samajournals.co.za/index.php/samj/article/view/4249