ABSTRACT
Depression in terminally ill patients is commonly thought to be a normal and appropriate adaptation to the prognosis or to result from the underlying pathology. While emotional distress is a natural response to being confronted with the finality of death; depression is a maladaptive and possibly harmful reaction. The acceptance of depression as normal has slowed the critical evaluation of the management of depression in palliative care patients. The somatic symptoms of depression are difficult to separate from the effects of the disease state. 1•2 Individual personality, existing support network, and medical problems impact the degree of psychological stress any given patient will experience.3
