THE USE OF VALID PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPLAINTS TO SCREEN, MINIMIZE OR DENY SERIOUS SOMATIC ILLNESS

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Abstract
The phenomenon of denial of illness is reviewed. For the most part, previously reported cases have been of patients with an organic brain syndrome, and the denial has been of psychotic proportions. Other cases have stressed the invocation of psychosomatic explanations for feared physical disability. The clinical examples in this study are delineated by patients who present with complaints of a purely psychological nature. Although these affective states may be attributable to the patient''s concern over his real physical illness, other more psychological explanations are given by the patient. The psychological symptoms are used instead of overtly admitting to physical illness, as contrasted with psychosomatic explanations for physical symptoms. None of the patients have organic brain disease and they are all sufficiently reality-oriented to admit, when pressed, to their physical ailments. The role of the physician as a potential collaborator in this "psychologizing" denial is outlined.

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