ABSTRACT

Education about death and dying has become an important and routine part of medical training. Most students receive specific instruction about end-of-life care, the impact of terminal illness on the patient and their family, and resources for support and counseling. Personal responses to illness are strongly affected by an individual's personality and their innate optimism or pre-existing tendency to anxiety or depression. However, regardless of personality, few people are prepared for the profound changes in personal life that come with illness. Some people are simply embarrassed by their normal emotional response to illness, such as anxiety, anger, or depression. Interviews with practicing physicians reveal that the humanistic and personal interactions which they have with patients enrich their careers in medicine. Studies tell us that the physicians who are best able to understand the psychosocial impact of illness are often those who have been ill themselves, or who have had a close friend or family member who was ill.