The health professional is in a unique but often awkward role when he falls victim to life-threatening illness and becomes a patient. Used to the role of caretaker, he experiences an abrupt reversal of role with consequent sequelae involving depression, loss of self-esteem, and the continual operation of defenses designed to protect himself in a period of acute distress. The author uses his own immediate experience as the starting point for a discussion of these and allied psychological issues concerning patient care in general.
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