Using the denial mechanism to inform the cancer patient.
Denial is a defense mechanism found in interpersonal relationships and behaviors, when a person finds it hard to cope with an unpleasant event or situation and accept that it is true. The success of disclosing information to a patient and indeed its individualization lies on the right use of the patient's character traits. This approach supplies an answer in issues such as when, how much, how we give information and what words we use. We can address these questions more fully, if we combine the approach and use of the denial degree of each patient along with personality traits. Therefore, it is obvious that there is a relationship between characteristics and the expression of the denial mechanism, hence denial per se. It is worth stressing on how family and relatives react to the bad news. In fact, in some cases not only preserve but also exacerbate denial in their patient, whereas many times they press the physician not to disclose the patient's illness. The hardest difficulty in understanding the denial mechanism by therapists is to establish to which extent these denial-induced reactions are conscious or not. As much as this defense mechanism is simple to put down in words, it is difficult to understand it completely and assess how deeply rooted it is. Therefore, the concepts of the denial mechanism should be the subject of training. The best way to understand the denial mechanism is through Consulting-Liaison Psychiatry.
Kallergis
G
G
Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, School of Health, University of Athens, Athens, Greece. gkallerg@nurs.uoa.gr
D003717:Denial, Psychological; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D014342:Truth Disclosure