Denial in the medical interview. Recognition and management

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Medicine
• Healthcare Communication

Background:

• Denial is a psychological defense mechanism used to cope with illness.
• It involves repudiating illness meanings to avoid painful emotions like fear and grief.
• Denial can manifest in patients and physicians during medical interviews.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the dual nature of denial as both a problem and an adaptive response in illness.
• To examine the role and management of denial within the medical interview context.
• To provide guidance on when and how to address denial in patient-physician interactions.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on psychological defenses in illness.
• Analysis of denial manifestation in medical interview dynamics.
• Exploration of decision-making factors for addressing patient denial.

Main Results:

• Denial can be a healthy coping mechanism, not always requiring intervention.
• The decision to address denial depends on its adaptiveness and patient's psychosocial context.
• Physicians may also exhibit denial, impacting the interview.

Conclusions:

• Denial's role in illness requires nuanced understanding; it can be adaptive.
• Intervention for denial in medical settings should be judicious, considering patient readiness and support.
• Techniques like clarification, confrontation, and interpretation can be used when addressing denial.