title: Patients' performance anxiety and related aspects as factors in resistance to change.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper is to touch on some aspects of patients' potentially ambivalent attitude toward change in the early stages of treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A de-identified case study is used as a springboard for discussing these issues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A range of factors can affect a person's confidence in, commitment to, and results from their treatment. Some of these include: the patient feeling that the nature of their problem--including any ambivalence to change--has been adequately understood; the clinician expressing reassurance or encouragement only after due consideration; the clinician and patient discussing their respective expectations at the outset so as to minimize any subsequent disenchantment; and recognizing the possible presence of a patient's performance anxiety around fearing he or she may fail to respond to treatment and disappoint not only him- or herself but others as well.
authors.affiliation: North Metropolitan Area Mental Health, Perth, WA, Australia. Sam.Restifo@health.wa.gov.au
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Restifo
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D032882:Comprehension; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology; D017211:Treatment Failure; D035502:Trust / Q000523:psychology