ABSTRACT
Psychologisation is the term used to describe the emphasis on psychological factors in illness where there is little or no evidence to justify it. In many cases, it reflects a lack of knowledge and/or a shortage of resources (Goudsmit and Gadd, 1991). However, research has also indicated that a practitioner's assessment may be unduly influenced by the patient's gender. In this chapter, I will summarise the main ways in which stereotypic views of women can act as a source of bias both in the evaluation of symptoms, and in the choice of treatment.
