Tag: optimism bias

False hope vs. real hope for patients

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 7 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥   Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

My former colleagues in palliative care often spoke about the concept of hope as being a fluid, ever-changing state of being for patients and their families, meaning that hope can change over time. When we’re suddenly face-to-face with a frightening medical crisis,  we hope at first that maybe the diagnostic tests were wrong. When the diagnosis is confirmed, we hope that this treatment/this procedure/ this drug will be the cure. But if we’re not cured, we hope that our symptoms can be managed so we don’t suffer. If we do get worse, we hope that our suffering won’t become a burden to our families. Then we hope that after we’re gone, our loved ones will be taken care of.

There was never talk about “no hope”.  There is always hope.  But our hope changes.  Continue reading “False hope vs. real hope for patients” →

Optimistic, pessimistic or realistic: take your pick

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 10 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas   ❤️   Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

As far back as I can remember, I have always been one of those annoyingly cheerful early morning people who bounce out of bed most mornings, raring to go.  And so when  I first heard the term “optimism bias”, my immediate reaction was:”That’s me!”  But there’s apparently far more to optimism bias than bouncing cheerfully out of bed.  (And my own mornings are admittedly less bouncy lately, given that I’m approaching Round 3 of chemotherapy for breast cancer, including a whack of side effects that have often felt like being run over by a large bus).
Continue reading “Optimistic, pessimistic or realistic: take your pick” →

False hope: better than no hope?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 14 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥   @HeartSisters

My former colleagues in palliative care often spoke about the concept of hope as being a fluid, ever-changing state of being. When we’re suddenly face-to-face with a frightening medical crisis, for example, we hope at first that maybe the diagnostic tests were wrong. When the diagnosis is confirmed, we hope that this treatment/this procedure/ this drug will be the cure. But if we’re not cured, we hope that our symptoms can be managed so we don’t suffer. If we do get worse, we hope that our suffering won’t become a burden to our families. Then we hope that after we’re gone, our loved ones will be taken care of.

There was never talk about “no hope”.  There is always hope.  But our hope changes.     .             . Continue reading “False hope: better than no hope?” →