Women ‘more likely to be told autoimmune conditions are psychological’

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, October 14, 2026

A study from the University of Cambridge and the University of East Anglia found that women with autoimmune diseases are significantly more likely than men to have their symptoms misattributed to psychological causes, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment. This gender bias prolongs the time women wait for accurate medical assessments—often one to two years—and undermines their trust in healthcare, underscoring the necessity for clinicians to validate symptoms more carefully.

A recent study indicates that women with autoimmune conditions are significantly more likely than men to have their symptoms attributed to psychological causes, leading to longer delays in diagnosis and treatment. The research, conducted by the University of Cambridge and the University of East Anglia, highlights ongoing gender disparities in the medical management of these diseases.

Autoimmune disorders, affecting approximately one in ten people worldwide, arise when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues. These conditions often involve symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, and rashes, which can overlap with other health issues and complicate diagnosis. The study’s findings suggest that women face particular challenges in securing accurate medical assessments.

Analyzing data from over 6,600 individuals—predominantly female and based in the United Kingdom—the researchers found that nearly half of the women reported being told their condition was rooted in psychiatric causes. Specifically, 43% of female participants said they were told their symptoms were psychological compared with 33% of men. Furthermore, 34% of women experienced symptoms misclassified as psychosomatic, implying their illness was stress- or anxiety-related, compared with 22% of men.

When controlling for factors such as age, disease type, geographic location, and socioeconomic status, the study concluded that women were 46% more likely to receive a psychiatric misdiagnosis and 74% more likely to be given a psychosomatic diagnosis than men. Women also reported longer intervals between symptom onset and diagnosis, commonly waiting between one and two years, while most men received diagnoses within three months.

The autoimmune conditions represented included autoimmune thyroid disease—such as Hashimoto’s disease and Graves’ disease—and systemic lupus erythematosus among women, with rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, and antiphospholipid syndrome more frequently reported by men. Symptoms across these illnesses can range from fatigue and joint pain to rashes and weight changes.

Lead author Melanie Sloan, a public health and primary care researcher, emphasized the lasting repercussions of misdiagnosis on women’s trust in healthcare providers and their own wellbeing. She cautioned against prematurely attributing symptoms to psychological factors, noting that this tendency, though present in both sexes, disproportionately affects women. Sloan called for clinicians to offer greater validation, stating that doctors should affirm patients’ experiences even when symptoms are not immediately visible.

Co-author and patient advocate Shaista Tayabali underscored the persistence of gender bias in medical care, despite improvements over time. She noted that although outdated terms such as “hysteria” are no longer used, women often continue to struggle to have their symptoms taken seriously and accurately addressed by healthcare professionals.

The study, published in the journal Lancet eClinicalMedicine, highlights the need for heightened awareness among medical practitioners to mitigate diagnostic disparities and improve outcomes for women living with autoimmune diseases.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.