Your pain is real.
You deserve to be believed.
Too many New Zealanders are dismissed, doubted, and gaslit by the health care system. We’re changing that.
VOICES
When The System Didn’t Believe Them
Real stories from New Zealanders whose pain was ignored or dismissed.
Endometriosis
“He told me period pain was normal. I had endometriosis.”
Woman, 29 – Auckland
Low back pain
“He told me it was all in my head. I had a herniated disc.”
Woman, 50 – Christchurch
Fibromyalgia
“He told me that I’d thrive if I gave up expecting to get better.”
Woman, 44 – Christchurch
UNDERSTANDING
What is pain bias?
Pain bias is the systematic tendency to disbelieve, minimise, or psychologise a patient’s pain – often driven by stereotypes embedded in medical training.
Dismissal
Pain attributed to non-biological causes like personality, stress, age
Medical Gaslighting
Patients made to doubt their own symptoms or feel like they’re “making it up.”
Diagnostic Delay
Time lost while underlying conditions go untreated and worsen
Who Is Most Affected
Women with complex/chronic conditions and/or marginalized identities
TOOLKIT
What to say when they don’t believe you
Scripts for the most common dismissals
DOCTOR SAYS
“Your tests are all normal. This might be anxiety.”
YOU SAY
“Can we pursue a physical workup while also looking at other causes? Normal tests don’t rule out pain.”
Join The Movement
Get updated as we build a campaign to reform how NZ healthcare treats people in pain.