A Successful Surgery May Depend on This . . .

A surgical patient’s attitude is so important to surgeons that many of them will delay a major operation until they become convinced that the patient is reasonably optimistic about the outcome. At the same time, it is important to note that the patients can jeopardize their own health care by becoming too optimistic about their health status, which can lead to neglecting that care.

It seems that perhaps the trait of optimism, regarding health issues, should be divided into two types, each having differing health implications. The more positive type relates to an individual’s sense of efficacy, or the ability to overcome any obstacle, any challenge that may arise. While this may seem a good start, the more extreme variety may lead to a form of denial, the inability to acknowledge symptoms or threats to well-being.

The more negative type, the defensive type, not only lacks benefit, but can actually enhance a health risk. This type would include optimistic bias, or the inability to apply a health risk to one’s self.

A deficit in the positive type, coming from the sense of helplessness, in its most severe forms, can lead to tragic consequences. Researchers all point to the phenomena of "unexplained" deaths of people who have believed themselves in hopeless circumstances. In some cases, for example, persons died after ingesting toxic substances, of which the amounts were often too small even to make them sick. Numerous other studies have shown a marked correspondence between increased health problems and the amount of stress from multiple life changes (for example, unemployment, relocation, bereavement, divorce, death in the family).

The point is that individuals do not always have a realistic grasp in their actual physical conditions. Their perceptions can actually be skewed by present psychological factors, which can alter their belief systems.

The moral of the story: Don’t undervalue the benefits of pre-surgical counseling. It has been known to be a matter of life and death.

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