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”.
This is such a bullshit stance to take. Yes people respond differently to different forms of criticism, but saying if you just asked nicely people will change really sounds like, “It’s your fault they are bad. Just be nice. Don’t you remember when we asked Hitler nicely to not be a dick and he stopped killing people?”
That’s not what I am saying at all. Let me rephrase: I believe it is much more likely that whoever you’re talking to will listen to what you have to say - and properly consider it - if you’re saying it in a tone that puts them in a comfortable position where they feel safe.
This is anecdotal for my experience but whenever I was talked to in a calm manner I would consider the other side geniunely. When it was screamed at me (e.g. what usually happens in politics) all I think about is “how I make this person leave me alone”. I don’t care about the content, I just want this situation to end.
The end goal is to make that junior paramedic consider the perspective, and there are ways that are much effective to do that than rants.