Denial and imminent death

The reactions of terminally ill patients are sometimes difficult to understand. The nursing staff in palliative care units say that they are confused by what they call "denial," thereby using, in a general sense, a word that has a very precise meaning in psychoanalysis. It seems necessary to put this concept in its true perspective in relation to the various defence mechanisms that can come into play each time a normal subject is confronted with the reality of death, his own or that of someone close to him. This will, I hope, help nursing staffs to adjust their attitude towards terminally ill patients.