Denial or acceptance of one’s illness : Discovery phase

I didn’t realize the importance of accepting one’s illness until the day my father was diagnosed with a chronic desease The mere discovery of this desease was a difficult ordeal for all of us. It came out of nowhere, and we didn’t really understand the causes or how to cope.

Denial of the illness

We found ourselves in a situation where the severity of the desease  may have initially triggered denial of the illness. This widespread phenomenon occurs when the patient tries to psychologically protect themselves against a perceived danger or threat. Not accepting the presence of the bad condition is sometimes normal during the unexpected discovery of certain physical problems, especially chronic or serious ones, because the patient experiences significant psychological discomfort.

The patient is often convinced that they cannot fall ill with a chronic desease. This may stem from the fact that they are confident in their health, exercise regularly, for example, and take good care of their diet. Or it may come from a purely spiritual perspective, where the patient is certain that they cannot be punished because they have always been good to people and have never harmed anyone.

The causes of denial are certainly diverse, but they are very common during this phase of desease discovery.

Acceptance of the illness

The denial phase, however, must not last. Initially, while it is considered normal, its persistence constitutes a real problem that threatens the quality of life of patients.

It is well known in psychology that any problem can be resolved if its presence is first accepted. In other words, if we don’t recognize the presence of a concern or problem, it is certainly impossible to resolve it or even to think of a solution.

In the case of deseases, it is essentially the fear of the unknown, of suffering, or of death that causes denial in the discovery phase. Subsequently, the person will have to accept the presence of their disorder and try to adapt as best they can to their new state of health.

This acceptance can be difficult, and this is where loved ones must intervene to help the patient understand their condition, accept it, and adapt as best they can to avoid emotional shocks or health crises.

The help of accompanying doctors and nurses is also important.

Practical tips for accepting your illness

There are several ways to help patients accept their condition by reducing the intensity of negative emotions and reactions:

– Explain to the patient this is very common and that they are not the only ones to suffer from them. Knowing that anyone could get sick is somewhat reassuring.

– Learn about the sickness in question and try to help the patient understand the symptoms, causes, and treatment options in the gentlest way possible to avoid the patient being afraid of suffering.

– Speak with the doctor in charge and explain to the patient that his condition can be effectively managed by following certain instructions and taking their medication on time, for example.

– Try to maintain the routine and rituals of normal life for the patient so that they do not feel neglected or excluded.

– Maintain good communication with the patient and ask them to share all their feelings so that they do not feel alone.

– If the patient believes in spirituality, it will be necessary to know how to speak their language to explain to them that falling ill is a kind of test and that they will be rewarded for their patience.

If all these methods do not work, it is better to seek help from psychologists, since continued denial can significantly disrupt the process of managing the illness.