Lies and Medicine

Abstract

Through the centuries physicians have come to expect honest, self disclosures from patients who seek help for their ailments. For the most part this is still true, but occasionally the physician will doubt a given history, find inconsistencies and struggle with personal discomfort that the story is suspicious and the patient is lying. Blatant motives for lying may be monetary compensation, work or school days offer sympathy at home. Each situation will be a judgement call on the physician's part: reassure medically and dismiss, nurturant confrontation, then question further to understand, or participate in the manipulation by signing a medical slip. These are practical options. Each family physician must treat according to his or her educated clinical assessment of the moment, rather than on a Supreme Court Judgement of the truth! Greater knowledge about truth and lies in general is userful in every aspect of life, our own and ow patients'.