[The patient as "demander": myth or reality? Preliminary correlative study]

It is often referred to the patient's "demand" in an attributive way, the patient being so considered as a "demander". The purpose is here to clear the way determining an attributive use of the concept and to test its relevance. Is there really a profile characterising this type of patient or is it only an abuse of language? While the results do not support the hypothesis of a patient's specific profile, an interaction pattern of supply and demand is suggested. The patient's difficulty to express a demand is considered with reference to psychosomatic disorders.