A 2025 qualitative study describes the hEDS diagnostic journey as traumatic
findingevidence: probableindependent evidence agrees
A qualitative study of people diagnosed with hEDS, published in BMJ Connections Clinical Genetics and Genomics in December 2025, found that experiences with providers ranged from harmful dismissal to validation, and that a diagnosis brought both validation and grief. The authors say physicians who diagnose and treat hEDS should be aware of possible medical post-traumatic stress disorder and past experiences of medical gaslighting. In a separate Global Registry survey of people with hEDS, anxiety and depression were among the most common other diagnoses they had received.
Not medical advice. This page summarizes research and does not recommend any course of care.
| EDS types | hEDS, HSD |
|---|---|
| Date | 2025 |
| Diagnostic criteria | 2017 International Classification |
| Last checked | 2026-09-16 |
Evidence
clinicalqualitative study
registryregistry analysis
Anxiety, depression, and migraine were the most common other diagnoses in the registry survey.