Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Setup and Execution of the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Death Notification Curriculum
Published on: August 5, 2020
Delivering difficult news in psychiatric settings
Michelle Cleary1, Glenn E Hunt, Jan Horsfall
1School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. michelle.cleary@email.cs.nsw.gov.au
Abstract:
Communication research and investigations into the delivery of bad news are uncommon in psychiatry versus other medical specialties. The question of delivering "bad" diagnostic news in psychiatry has been focused on dementia rather than actual psychiatric disorders and their sequelae. Common problems are that psychiatrists avoid dealing with patients' emotional reactions to bad news and that they avoid providing a clear diagnosis for fear that patients or carers will be distressed. This article aims to provide an overview of key elements of the "breaking bad news" literature, teasing out factors that are relevant to psychiatric practice. Topics explored include: definitions; clinical considerations for delivering difficult news within medical and psychiatric settings; protocols and guidelines; evidence about patient information needs and communication preferences; research into actual delivery of such news; and areas for future education and research.
Related Concept Videos
Drug Therapy
Antianxiety Medications
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Psychosurgery
Historical Development of Psychosurgery
In the 1930s, Portuguese neurologist Antonio Egas Moniz introduced a surgical procedure designed...
Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
Ethical Dilemmas II
