Dansak D A, Cordes R S
Int J Psychiatry Med. 1978;9(3-4):257-62. doi: 10.2190/rtf5-qjlj-43mq-jn3j.
Medical personnel often reach erroneous judgments on the reaction of cancer patients to death and dying. Patients with terminal cancer sometimes will say little or nothing to hospital staff members or other professionals about their fears or expectations. This silence is generally construed as indicative of the primitive defense mechanism of denial. Usually, however, such patients are not truly "denying" cancer and its consequences, but have merely decided, more or less voluntarily, to "suppress" these thoughts as a method of coping with their illness. The medical staff, through careful observation of cancer patients, and through discussions with patients' families, should be able to distinguish between denial and suppression. This distinction can be significant because it enables the staff to understand the patient's feelings correctly, and thereby to provide more effective care. The staff, and the patients themselves, are thus in a better position to orchestrate the patients' various physical, emotional and interpersonal needs and resources optimally.
医务人员常常对癌症患者面对死亡和临终的反应做出错误判断。晚期癌症患者有时很少或根本不对医院工作人员或其他专业人员提及他们的恐惧或期望。这种沉默通常被理解为是否认这一原始防御机制的表现。然而，通常这些患者并非真的“否认”癌症及其后果，而只是或多或少自愿地决定“压抑”这些想法，以此作为应对疾病的一种方式。医务人员通过对癌症患者的仔细观察以及与患者家属的讨论，应该能够区分否认和压抑。这种区分很重要，因为它能使工作人员正确理解患者的感受，从而提供更有效的护理。这样，工作人员以及患者自身就能更好地优化安排患者在身体、情感和人际方面的各种需求及资源。
