Telling patients they are mentally ill.
Telling a patient that he is mentally ill is a frequently encountered but rarely simple task. Because a diagnostic disclosure could have a deleterious effect, the decision to inform a patient of his psychiatric illness must be based on whether the patient will utilize the knowledge in a constructive or self-destructive manner. In this article, the author discusses when and how to tell a patient he has a psychological disorder, along with areas of caution and recommended guidelines.
D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D014342:Truth Disclosure