Dr. Paul Rousseau from Arizona State University has written an interesting summary of the problem of denial of terminal illness, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, May, 2003.

Below are selections from the article, which should pique one’s curiosity:

“Although denial may produce a focus of concern, it may also serve as a protective and adaptive mechanism to absorb deleterious and life-threatening information in a manageable and self-determined time frame.”

“If denial is determined to be present but not impacting the patient’s ability and desire to seek and accept help and is primarily an adaptive mechanism, it may be temporarily or permanently ignored.”

“Denial can reduce emotional distress and permit time for patients to absorb the consequences of a life-threatening illness while completing unfinished life work.”

Considering both harmless and harmful denial, he also relates strategies to help the patient suffering from so much denial that it “interferes with daily life and medical therapy.”

Update: it looks like the JCO won’t allow links to this article – my apologies. For those readers who tend to haunt medical libraries, the essay can be found in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, volume 21, pages 52-53, May 2003. I think I’m in denial over my webmaster skills…