Reflection on Palliative Sedation for Existential Distress. It is Possible to Tolerate the Incomprehensible?

The difficulty of making decisions in end of life is the subject of these reflections through two clinical cases. We considered the question of palliative sedation for existential distress through a phenomenological approach, focusing the relationship between a patient's clinical history and th...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Endrizzi, Cristina (Author), Palella, Mirella (Author), Ghelleri, Valeria (Author), Bastita, Roberta (Author)
Format: Ebooks
Published: IntechOpen, 2017-10-04.
Subjects:
Online Access:Get Online
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
LEADER 02370 am a22002293u 4500
001 intechopen_books_5593
042 |a dc 
100 1 0 |a Endrizzi, Cristina  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Palella, Mirella  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Ghelleri, Valeria  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Bastita, Roberta  |e author 
245 0 0 |a Reflection on Palliative Sedation for Existential Distress. It is Possible to Tolerate the Incomprehensible? 
260 |b IntechOpen,   |c 2017-10-04. 
500 |a https://mts.intechopen.com/articles/show/title/reflection-on-palliative-sedation-for-existential-distress-it-is-possible-to-tolerate-the-incomprehe 
520 |a The difficulty of making decisions in end of life is the subject of these reflections through two clinical cases. We considered the question of palliative sedation for existential distress through a phenomenological approach, focusing the relationship between a patient's clinical history and the reactions of the care team to the existential distress of the patients. We chose to introduce a concept, dynamic projective identifications, which is a powerful mechanism for communication between human beings. The hypothesis is that projective identification works as a powerful mechanism of emotional contagion between people facing death, families, and their health workers. In the cases, however, the use of this therapeutic tool is not oriented to provide psychotherapeutic methods of supporting dying patients but to sustain the awareness of the care team in the decision-making process. The psychological pressure on the care team may lead physicians to act considering "what you already know". Being aware of these mechanisms can help physicians to understand the phenomena that are happening. Even if palliative sedation is the best therapy, the care team must clarify the meaning of the projective identification and enter them into the flow of communication with the patients and their families. 
540 |a https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 
546 |a en 
690 |a Highlights on Several Underestimated Topics in Palliative Care 
655 7 |a Chapter, Part Of Book  |2 local 
786 0 |n https://www.intechopen.com/books/5593 
787 0 |n ISBN:978-953-51-3565-4 
856 \ \ |u https://mts.intechopen.com/articles/show/title/reflection-on-palliative-sedation-for-existential-distress-it-is-possible-to-tolerate-the-incomprehe  |z Get Online