When Patients Are Told “It’s All in Your Head”

So many times patients are dismissed with symptoms as “anxiety” and told, “it’s all in your head.” If that sentence hits close to home, you are not alone.

Unexplained pain, fatigue, dizziness, heart palpitations, digestive issues, or brain fog are often brushed aside when they do not fit neatly into a diagnosis. And while anxiety is very real and mental health matters deeply, not every symptom should stop at that conclusion. Even when anxiety is part of the picture, patients still deserve compassion, investigation, and support. Being told “it’s all in your head” doesn’t just delay answers. It creates lasting emotional harm.

Many patients leave appointments feeling embarrassed for asking questions, afraid to bring up symptoms again, and unsure if they can trust their own bodies. Over time, this leads to medical avoidance, worsening mental health, delayed diagnoses, and deep frustration with a healthcare system that often feels rushed and impersonal. No one should have to choose between being taken seriously and being emotionally supported. You deserve both.

As an NP patient advocate, my role is to listen first. My job is not to rush through a consultation or fit you into a convenient box. My job is to hear your story, explore patterns in your symptoms, look at what may have been overlooked, and help you navigate next steps with clarity and confidence. Sometimes symptoms are complex. Sometimes they don’t fit neatly into one explanation. And sometimes the system simply does not slow down enough to connect the dots. That is where advocacy makes a real difference.

I also believe something very strongly: everyone can benefit from therapy. Especially when you are living with chronic symptoms, navigating undiagnosed conditions, or carrying the emotional weight of feeling dismissed by the healthcare system. Therapy is not about saying your symptoms are imaginary. It is about giving you a safe place to process what your body and mind are going through at the same time.

A supportive therapist can help you cope with frustration, grief, and fear while you search for answers. Therapy helps you build confidence to speak up at appointments, process medical trauma, and feel less alone in an experience that often feels isolating. When you have been dismissed by providers, therapy becomes a place where you are finally believed. That validation can be life-changing.

If you have ever been told “it’s all in your head,” hear this clearly: there is nothing wrong with getting professional help to cope with debilitating symptoms. There is nothing weak about needing support when the system feels overwhelming. And there is nothing imaginary about the exhaustion that comes from being dismissed. You do not have to carry this alone.

At Kentucky Health Advocacy, we support patients across the state who feel unheard, overwhelmed, or stuck in complicated healthcare journeys. We help people prepare for appointments, organize their symptoms, find providers who truly listen, connect with therapists who understand chronic illness, and advocate for deeper evaluation when needed. Most of all, we help patients feel confident navigating a system that too often makes them feel invisible.

You deserve to be heard. You deserve to be supported. And you deserve a care team that believes you.