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Recent Results in Cancer Research.... 2018Diagnosis and treatment of malignant diseases affect in many ways the lives of patients, relatives and friends. Common reactions immediately after the diagnosis are...
Diagnosis and treatment of malignant diseases affect in many ways the lives of patients, relatives and friends. Common reactions immediately after the diagnosis are shock and denial, frequently followed by depression, anxiety and/or anger. About a third of all cancer patients suffer from a co-morbid mental health condition, requiring professional support by the entire medical team, including psycho-oncologists. Often overlooked issues are financial and social problems due to inability to work or due to out-of-pocket costs for the medical treatment.
Topics: Anger; Anxiety; Depression; Health Expenditures; Humans; Neoplasms; Social Support; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 28924676
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-64310-6_1 -
Journal of Clinical Oncology : Official... May 2018
Topics: Aged; Attitude to Death; Denial, Psychological; Family; Humans; Male; Myelodysplastic Syndromes; Physician-Patient Relations
PubMed: 29470141
DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2017.77.3275 -
Archives of Women's Mental Health Feb 2022Pervasive pregnancy denial is a misunderstood reproductive anomaly which compromises the health of both mother and the developing fetus. Because in extreme cases, the... (Review)
Review
Pervasive pregnancy denial is a misunderstood reproductive anomaly which compromises the health of both mother and the developing fetus. Because in extreme cases, the death of the neonate at the hands of his/her mother has criminal repercussions, research has attempted to explain the origins of this clinical phenomenon. The purpose of this review is to analyze the evolution of understanding the association between pregnancy denial and neonaticide. This paper identifies the consistent similarities in symptom presentation, particularly dissociation, when a denied pregnancy ends with the death of the newborn. The common thread across the progression of the literature over time serves as a foundation for considering the development of diagnostic criteria for future inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This paper reviews the seminal research from 1969 to current research up to 2020 addressing pregnancy denial and its connection to neonaticide. Peer reviewed and published articles related to key terms around "pregnancy denial," "pregnancy concealment," "neonaticide," and "dissociation" were retrieved from major databases such as PubMed, PsychINFO, JSTOR, ProQEST, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Reference lists of relevant articles were also scanned to search for further papers pertaining to similarities in symptom presentation across demographic profiles. Papers were excluded if they were not available in English, or if they did not contribute to identifying consistencies in clinical presentation when a pregnancy is denied. There are clear repetitive markers that occur across studies which pertain not only to the frequent absence of certain expected indicators of pregnancy, (i.e. no morning sickness, weight gain, or sensations of fetal movement), but also the misattribution of pregnancy-related symptoms, and the consistent experience of a dissociative episode while giving birth that can unintentionally result in neonaticide. This paper concludes that dissociation is a consistently seen symptom in pervasive pregnancy denial. Dissociation, in addition to other commonly seen symptoms across cases, suggests specific diagnostic criteria that lend themselves to inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Topics: Denial, Psychological; Dissociative Disorders; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infanticide; Male; Mothers; Parturition; Pregnancy
PubMed: 34392438
DOI: 10.1007/s00737-021-01176-7 -
Psychiatria Danubina 2021Denial of Pregnancy is a women's subjective lack of awareness of being pregnant. It can be partial (from 20 weeks but lifted before delivery) or complete (the women... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Denial of Pregnancy is a women's subjective lack of awareness of being pregnant. It can be partial (from 20 weeks but lifted before delivery) or complete (the women notice she's pregnant when labour starts). The prevalence is around 1/500 for partial denial and 1/2500 for complete denial. This article's aim is to review the literature broadly on the subject of pregnancy denial, its psychopathological hypothesis and the state of knowledge on the outcome for mothers and children.
METHODS
26 references have been selected bases on a research on pubmed database and through bibliography on the selected papers.
RESULTS
Despite a lot of psychopathological hypothesis and some epidemiological studies, no objective knowledge can lead to know what kind of women will deny their pregnancy and how to prevent it. After all the studies on mother characteristics, it seems there are no "clear-cut" explanations on why a woman denies a pregnancy or what type of women could be at risk of denial. There are no official guidelines on how to manage the condition and care for the patient long term. The first elements of research on the developmental outcome for infant seem to show a delay in psychomotor skills and possible speech disorder. They have been significant advancement on the subject of children development after pregnancy denial in the last year but the psychological and developmental impact of pregnancy denial on children and mothers is still majorly unknown. With a clinical picture known for so long, to have so little objective information on how to manage it and on the possible consequences is surprising.
CONCLUSION
More research needs to be conducted to objectively know the long term effects of pregnancy denial on the whole family. International consensus should be found on the definition and care management of pregnancy denial.
Topics: Child; Female; Humans; Infant; Mothers; Pregnancy
PubMed: 34185733
DOI: 10.24869/psyd.2021.140 -
Public Understanding of Science... May 2024Despite scientific consensus on climate change, climate denial is still widespread. While much research has characterised climate denial, comparatively fewer studies...
Despite scientific consensus on climate change, climate denial is still widespread. While much research has characterised climate denial, comparatively fewer studies have systematically examined how to counteract it. This review fills this gap by exploring the research about counteracting climate denial, the effectiveness and the intentions behind intervention. Through a systematic selection and analysis of 65 scientific articles, this review finds multiple intervention forms, including education, message framing and inoculation. The intentions of intervening range from changing understanding of climate science, science advocacy, influencing mitigation attitudes and counteracting vested industry. A number of divergent findings emerge: whether to separate science from policy; the disputed effects of emotions and the longitudinal impacts of interventions. The review offers guiding questions for those interested in counteracting denialism, the answers to which indicate particular strategies: identify the form of climate denial; consider the purpose of intervention and recognise one's relationship to their audiences.
Topics: Attitude; Climate Change; Denial, Psychological; Public Opinion
PubMed: 38243813
DOI: 10.1177/09636625231223425 -
Social Science & Medicine (1982) May 2022Gaslighting is a type of abuse aimed at making victims question their sanity as well as the veracity and legitimacy of their own perspectives and feelings. In this...
Gaslighting is a type of abuse aimed at making victims question their sanity as well as the veracity and legitimacy of their own perspectives and feelings. In this article, we show how gaslighting can operate as a key, yet underexamined strategy of obstetric violence, or the institutional and interpersonal violation of women's rights during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. We draw on forty-six in-depth, semi-structured interviews with mothers who experienced a traumatic childbirth to examine how obstetric providers gaslight mothers before, during and after childbirth when they deny - and thereby destabilize - mothers' realities. We identify and examine four core types of denials: denials of 1) mothers' humanity, 2) mothers' knowledge as valid, 3) mothers' judgements as rational and 4) mothers' feelings as legitimate. All four denials work to render mothers noncredible and their claims illegible within clinical encounters. In explicitly naming, theorizing, and examining obstetric gaslighting, our aims are threefold: 1) to uncover and theorize an underexamined mechanism of obstetric violence through a sociological lens, 2) to offer a typology of obstetric gaslighting's manifestations to aid scholars and practitioners in recognizing when obstetric gaslighting is occurring and 3) to advance a growing research program on gaslighting in medicine.
Topics: Delivery, Obstetric; Female; Gaslighting; Humans; Mothers; Parturition; Pregnancy; Violence
PubMed: 35395611
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114938 -
Psychosomatics 2015The authors review the literature on two dramatic psychosomatic disorders of reproduction and offer a potential classification of pregnancy denial. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
The authors review the literature on two dramatic psychosomatic disorders of reproduction and offer a potential classification of pregnancy denial.
METHOD
Information on false and denied pregnancies is summarized by comparing the descriptions, differential diagnoses, epidemiology, patient characteristics, psychological factors, abdominal tone, and neuroendocrinology. Pregnancy denial's association with neonaticide is reviewed.
RESULTS
False and denied pregnancies have fooled women, families, and doctors for centuries as the body obscures her true condition. Improvements in pregnancy testing have decreased reports of false pregnancy. However, recent data suggests 1/475 pregnancies are denied to 20 weeks, and 1/2455 may go undiagnosed to delivery. Factors that may contribute to the unconscious deception include abdominal muscle tone, persistent corpus luteum function, and reduced availability of biogenic amines in false pregnancy, and posture, fetal position, and corpus luteum insufficiency in denied pregnancy. For each condition, there are multiple reports in which the body reveals her true pregnancy status as soon as the woman is convinced of her diagnosis. Forensic literature on denied pregnancy focused on the woman's rejection of motherhood, while psychiatric studies have revealed that trauma and dissociation drive her denial.
CONCLUSIONS
False pregnancy has firm grounding as a classic psychosomatic disorder. Pregnancy denial's association with neonaticide has led to misleading forensic data, which obscures the central role of trauma and dissociation. A reappraisal of pregnancy denial confirms it as the somatic inverse of false pregnancy. With that perspective, clinicians can help women understand their pregnancy status to avoid unexpected deliveries with tragic outcomes.
Topics: Denial, Psychological; Dissociative Disorders; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pseudopregnancy; Psychological Trauma; Somatoform Disorders
PubMed: 25624179
DOI: 10.1016/j.psym.2014.09.004 -
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.... Oct 2023Despite evidence documenting the physical and psychological benefits of breast reduction, third-party payer approval remains a cumbersome process. The objective of this...
BACKGROUND
Despite evidence documenting the physical and psychological benefits of breast reduction, third-party payer approval remains a cumbersome process. The objective of this study was to assess differences in medical necessity criteria for reduction mammaplasty among US insurance carriers while analyzing trends in claim denials and appeals.
METHODS
The medical necessity criteria for reduction mammaplasty were retrieved from seven large health insurance carriers. Data were extracted from each policy, including claim requirements for approval. Additionally, prospective data on claims and denials submitted from January through August 2022 were collected from The Auctus Group, a medical consulting firm.
RESULTS
All the policies have been updated since January 2020. Five of the seven policies specifically listed what documentation was required for preauthorization approval, with five third-party payers requiring photograph documentation. Policies required documentation of one to three symptoms lasting from 6 weeks to 1 year. All companies reported a tissue resection estimate threshold, but cutoffs varied. Of 380 reduction mammaplasties performed, 158 (41.6%) received a denial on initial insurance submission. Considering appeals, a total of 216 denials were reviewed with an average of 1.37 denials per patient. Of the 158 initial denials, 104 (65.8%) of these were from claims that received preauthorization. In 12 cases, third-party payers stated that no prior authorization was necessary yet still denied the claim.
CONCLUSIONS
Wide variability exists in medical necessity criteria for reduction mammaplasty policies among major insurance carriers. These nuances introduce inefficiencies for practices contributing to high denial and appeal rates while delaying surgical care for patients.
PubMed: 37900990
DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000005361 -
Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia :... 2022To investigate factors that influence or promote disbelief and negative attitudes toward COVID-19.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate factors that influence or promote disbelief and negative attitudes toward COVID-19.
METHODS
This was cross-sectional study involving 544 males and females ≥ 18 years of age in Greece between December of 2020 and January of 2021. All participants were informed about the purpose of the study, protection of anonymity, and volunteer participation. Participants completed an online anonymous 40-item questionnaire. Analysis of data included the identification of correlations and use of t-tests and ANOVA.
RESULTS
The level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 transmission routes, manifestations, and prevention was high in our sample. Women appeared to have a more positive attitude toward COVID-19 prevention and management than did men (p = 0.032 and p = 0.018, respectively). Younger people (18-30 years of age) seemed to deny the validity of scientific data and mass media reports about ways to deal with the pandemic more commonly than did those > 30 years of age (p = 0.003 and p = 0.001, respectively). People who resided in cities more commonly believed in scientific announcements than did those living in villages (p = 0.029).
CONCLUSIONS
In order to minimize cases of denial of and disbelief in COVID-19 and to promote vaccination, a series of actions are required. Governments should implement a series of measures to contain the disease, taking into consideration the psychological and social aspects of those policies.
Topics: Adult; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 36169560
DOI: 10.36416/1806-3756/e20220228 -
The International Journal of Eating... Jan 2017To systematically review the literature on perceived barriers and facilitators of help-seeking for eating disorders. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To systematically review the literature on perceived barriers and facilitators of help-seeking for eating disorders.
METHOD
Three databases (PubMed, PsychInfo, Cochrane) were searched using keywords and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms. Retrieved abstracts (N = 3493) were double screened and relevant papers (n = 13) were double coded. Qualitative and quantitative studies were included if they reported perceived barriers and facilitators towards seeking help for eating disorders. Barriers and facilitators were extracted from the included papers and coded under themes. The most prominent barriers and facilitators were determined by the number of studies reporting each theme.
RESULTS
Eight qualitative, three quantitative, and two mixed-methods studies met the inclusion criteria for the current review. The most prominent perceived barriers to help-seeking were stigma and shame, denial of and failure to perceive the severity of the illness, practical barriers (e.g., cost of treatment), low motivation to change, negative attitudes towards seeking help, lack of encouragement from others to seek help and lack of knowledge about help resources. Facilitators of help-seeking were reported in six studies, with the most prominent themes identified as the presence of other mental health problems or emotional distress, and concerns about health.
DISCUSSION
Programs targeting prevention and early intervention for eating disorders should focus on reducing stigma and shame, educating individuals about the severity of eating disorders, and increasing knowledge around help-seeking pathways for eating disorders. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:9-21).
Topics: Denial, Psychological; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Female; Health Education; Humans; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Shame; Social Stigma
PubMed: 27526643
DOI: 10.1002/eat.22598