[Patient education regarding the diagnosis. Results of a survey of psychiatric patients].
OBJECTIVE
Physicians are obliged to inform all patients about the diagnosis and course of their illness. Often difficulties occur in informing patients with psychiatric disorders. Psychiatrists often fear complications (worsening of the symptomatology) by the disclosure of the diagnosis, which facilitate the informed consent on the treatment. Up to now only a few data concerning this topic are available.


METHODS
255 psychiatric inpatients were given a short questionnaire about their illness, its course, and the wish for being informed about their psychiatric diagnosis and the prognosis of their psychiatric disorder.


RESULTS
Most patients want to get informations about their diagnosis (88.6%) and the prognosis of their psychiatric disorder (80.4%). Only 27.8% of the patients described a fear of the disclosure of diagnosis, and some more (35.3%) were afraid to hear the prognosis of their psychiatric disorder. However, this fear did not reduce their wish to become fully informed. 60% of the patients reported a satisfactory information of their diagnosis and were able to give the correct medical diagnosis. Furthermore, our results revealed that those patients not willing to be treated were informed about their diagnosis insufficiently.


CONCLUSIONS
The informing about their diagnosis should play a more important role in the treatment of psychiatric patients.
Wetterling
T
T
Klinik für Psychiatrie, Medizinische Universität zu Lübeck.
Tessmann
G
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003717:Denial, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales