Denial and terminal illness

Abstract

Denial in the terminally-ill is often seen as a problem that health care professionals, particularly social workers need to fix. Rather than seeing denial as a part of acceptance, it is seen adjust the opposite. Denial surfaces to establish control in an uncontrollable situation such as terminal illness. The social worker’s challenge is to help the patient and family see their own strengths and make their own decisions. As the patient and family regain some control over their lives, denial is often replaced with other, more functional coping mechanisms.