Guilt

Family members and friends often feel guilty when someone is diagnosed with a lifethreatening illness. Some people will remember the patient feeling tired, for example, and regret that they didn’t tell the patient to go to a doctor. They may remember previous arguments or disagreements and regret things that were said. They may also regret making demands on the patient’s time and energy, feeling that they somehow contributed to the onset of the illness. Generally, these feelings of guilt are not based in reality, as the factors that influenced disease are often unknowable.