title: [Psychological behavior in terminal illnesses].
abstract: The physician usually identifies the diagnosis - and implicitly the prognosis - of a terminal illness by its objective signs. The patient, however, recognizes fatal disease through pain and subjective symptoms as well as the reaction of his doctor and family. The overwhelming majority of patients suffering from a fatal disease realize that they will die within a given span of time; but most physicians still believe that frank information of the patient about the fatal character of his disease is irresponsible. The response of the patient to the approach of death is in many ways comparable to the usual adaptation to a psychological stress. As in illness behaviour in general, adaptation depends on personality structure (especially defense mechanisms), the given life situation and the illness. The main goal of psychotherapy in terminal illness is to answer the patient's questions as frankly as possible, without destroying hope for those in need of it. Support for the patient through the different phases of dying will preserve him from human isolation.
mesh_terms: D001293:Attitude to Death; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011613:Psychotherapy; D013315:Stress, Psychological
vernacular_title: Psychisches Verhalten bei terminalen Krankheiten